Allegorical Gameplay Design: Developing The 2d Platformer Game 'Remember' To Represent Adolescent Mental Health Challenges

Abstract

Mental health is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect, particularly among adolescents navigating the  "storm and stress" developmental phase. In Indonesia, this demographic is pivotal to the nation's  demographic bonus, yet the prevalence of mental health disorders within this group remains significantly  high. This research aims to address the gap in mental health promotion programs by exploring the  potential of serious games as a medium to increase awareness and foster empathy. The specific  objective is to design and develop a game prototype titled "Remember," tailored specifically for adolescents. The development methodology utilizes the Unity Game Engine as the primary framework, 
Visual Studio Code for C# scripting, and Libresprite for 2D pixel art asset creation. "Remember" is  designed as a 2D story-based platformer, presenting an allegorical narrative of an adolescent protagonist (Elina) navigating an imaginative world to recover lost diary pages, which represent the process of healing from trauma and grief. The output of this project is a playable prototype featuring core mechanics such as character movement, dashing, wall jumping, and a non-NPC, trigger-based dialogue system for narrative delivery. This project concludes that games employing strong narratives can be effective tools for mental health awareness, provided the design process carefully balances engaging gameplay with a sensitive and accurate representation of emotional experiences.