MindMax: Using videogames and sport to engage young men and improve wellbeing

While there is growing interest in men’s mental health, engagement with this population remains a challenge, suggesting the need for non-traditional approaches. In addition, the increased use of new and emerging technology (especially by young people) denotes its suitability for delivering such services. In 2015, the Australian Football League Players Association was the successful recipient of a Movember foundation grant to improve the mental health of Australian males aged between 16-35 years. The project proposed was a strategy incorporating wellbeing science, delivered via mobile technology, and leveraging interest in elite sport and videogames. This has resulted in MindMax, a new and innovative mobile application that delivers psychoeducation within an integrated digital sporting community, driven by real-world challenges and events. This paper describes the supporting iterative research and development cycle including participatory design and user (acceptance) testing, the technology build, and proposed evaluation of the final product.