The MindMax project (funded by the Movember foundation) aims to create a digital community where people can discover, play and share ideas to build and strengthen mental health and wellbeing. The project brings together the Australian Football League Players Association (AFL players), Queensland University of Technology, The Mind Room and The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, in an integrated strategy utilising elite sport, videogames and wellbeing science.
A multi-pronged evaluation of the application began in June, 2017. User acceptance testing was conducted on the Beta in December, 2016 and March, 2017, prior to the official release on the 21 June, 2017. Upon the official launch, two studies began: a longitudinal series of interviews with recruited and organic users (complemented with app usage data), and a naturalistic trial using surveys administered at multiple time-points. These two studies will both continue for the length of the project. In addition, a cohort of co-researchers was assembled to study how to build community in and around MindMax.
Partners
AFL Players' Association
Movember FoundationPublications
- Vella, Kellie, Johnson, Daniel, Mitchell, Joanne, Johnson, D, vanden Abeele, V (2016) Playing support: Social connectedness amongst male videogame players Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, pp.343-350.
- Mitchell, J., Vella, K., Johnson, D., Peever, N., Wan Sze Cheng, V., Davenport, T., Burns, J., Hickie, I., Kyle, A., Hedley, B., & Johnson, B. (2017) MindMax: Using Videogames and Sport to Engage Young Men and Improve Wellbeing. 2nd Symposium Computing and Mental Health
- Vella, Kellie, Johnson, Daniel, Cheng, Vanessa, Davenport, Tracey, Mitchell, Jo, Klarkowski, Madison, Phillips, Cody (2019) A sense of belonging: Pokémon GO and social connectedness Games and Culture, 14 (6), pp.583-603.
