The Graduation Show provides an excellent platform for over 180 students from the Design Academy Eindhoven to showcase their designs to a wide audience, including Ana Souto Neves, who has created a game aimed at reducing stress and anxiety.
“My project is called M.A.R.A (Mental Aid Relaxation Assistant). It’s essentially a game that employs multiple sensory stimuli to help alleviate anxiety and stress,” Ana explains proudly. “It comprises three components: visuals, sound, and the controller.”
“In developing my design, I conducted extensive research on stress relief, which I incorporated into these components. For instance, the sound emitted through the headphones plays a specific frequency that promotes relaxation in the brain. The controller functions like a stress ball and is made from very soft silicone, mimicking the feel of skin,” the student elaborates.
Ana has tested her game in various settings. “For example, I trialled it with individuals working in the hospitality sector. Some participants responded so well to the game that they had to turn it off, as they felt they might fall asleep otherwise.”
Anxiety disorders
The game aims to help people with anxiety disorders or stress. For this, Ana drew inspiration from her own environment. ‘Within my family, we suffer a lot from anxiety disorders. It sometimes prevents you from being productive or doing the things you want to do. Then you need something or someone to help you. This can be in the form of a parent or therapist, but these are not always accessible.’
Ana therefore hopes that her game will be available everywhere within a short time; she is already working hard to make this happen. ‘There is already a fair amount of interest in my project. Soon there will be an app you can download that will allow you to use M.A.R.A anywhere.’
Besides M.A.R.A, the Graduation Show was full of other projects. These included grand circus acts, edible art objects and a musical table. The students’ designs will be on display at Microstad in Eindhoven until Sunday.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Chaitali Sengupta.
