BUMP GALAXY

January 2020 - 2023

Bump Galaxy was a Minecraft server for mental health, where people could visit several different biomes designed for different types of care, like a meditation forest, underwater temple or drama therapy island. With its modified game mechanics and environment, it provided new physiological experiences of safety and social support through play — ‘Game World Therapy’.

The project has been presented in Dutch Design Week and the London Design Biennale. It became of more importance during the COVID-19 pandemic in which a need for new intimacy arose on digital platforms.

According to The Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health, the global mental health crisis is projected to cost the world $16 trillion by 2030; there is an overwhelming disparity between the costs of these global problems and the resources actually allocated to solving them. What Bump Galaxy makes possible is to apply a strategy based on community, collaboration and creativity to create virtual spaces where playing together can mean caring for one another.