Our project, Mellow Fellows, began with the goal of tackling the challenge of mental health issues. We concentrated specifically on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) because of the prevalence and severity of the illness in society today. By creating a relaxing, fun, and simple pet care video game, we hoped to use the positive effects of pet ownership as a way to provide stress relief and support to those experiencing MDD. This video game was built in the Unity game engine and coded in C#, while custom art was created in Photoshop. Background research was conducted to figure out how to craft the game mechanics, aesthetics, and mood in such a way that they would reinforce our main goal. At the conclusion of our project, we had completed the basic framework and functionality of the game; we were also able to make a limited number of custom pixel art assets to be featured in the game. The project provides a solid foundation for further research into managing MDD as well as mental health problems as a whole, and it provides society with an easily accessible and usable method to help relieve their depressive symptoms.
