Research Symposium

BIO

Hi, my name is Aislinn Gonzalez. I am from Boca Raton, Florida. Currently, I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology on a pre-PA track. However, my love for psychology has led me on a more oriented research path. My research interests include studying athletes and their performance using various tools, studying eating disorders and their effects on popular media, and medical research in any area. As of now, I am unsure of what my career goals will be as I have many different interests and am looking forward to continue finding out what I love most. Specifically, I will be working on research in the Fall working in a lab that caters towards athletes.

Portrayals of Mental Health in Video Games

Abstract

Stigmatization can have consequences to how a given society feels about, thinks of, and acts towards others. Stigmatizing portrayals of
people with mental illness as propagated by forms of media such as television have been well documented, but video games remain an area with little research. Building off previous studies, this research project involves compiling video game footage which was then coded for stigmatizing portrayals of people with mental disorders. The study is ongoing, but previous research indicates that portrayals of mental health will be overwhelmingly stigmatizing, relying on stereotypes rather than
informed and accurate depictions. This is concerning as the unique interactive features of video games make such stigmatization especially harmful. However, notable exceptions of individual games with constructive portrayals show implications for positive social change driven by interactive media.

Keywords: mental health, video games, stigmas