Lonely is a 2d platforming video game that creates a player experience grounded in themes of grief, social isolation and anxiety. According to the CDC: Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health, approximately 5.8 million children suffer from symptoms linked to social isolation and anxiety. Lonely creates a gameplay experience that helps the player build a deeper empathy for those that experience anxiety and social isolation.

 In Lonely, the player dives into the child's mind which has become a twisted maze under the weight of such heavy grief. The player then navigates through distinct areas each representing different aspects of the child's grief. In those areas, the player will have to concur platforming challenges, puzzles, and monsters each of which has been manifested from struggles of intense grief.

Brief 1:

The video game Lonely explores feelings of loneliness and despair that come from experiencing a great loss in a 2d platformer format. As the player goes through different levels, they fight their inner monsters in a battle to find something or someone to be friends with. Lonely addresses loneliness in children who have recently lost a loved one and how someone experiencing these feelings would interact with the world and experience it. 

The story of the game is reminiscent of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis a book where children go into a different world to escape World War two. This is just one example of children using fantasy worlds to develop skills to deal with real world problems.