Marking World Mental Health Day and the release of Kind Words 2.
I bet they would."
I’m speaking with Popcannibal developer Ziba Scott about Kind Words, and its successor Kind Words 2.
But that didn’t matter.
It did not go well.
“There were problems with the game.
Sales didn’t go well, and so it was just… it was a depressing time.
I was thinking, ‘maybe I shouldn’t be making games, maybe I should do something else’.
I was counting myself out of being an indie game developer.”
In the same week Kind Words released, Scott started working for a different company.
Kind Words was a turning point for Popcannibal.
“I’ve made a game calledBlock Pooper, and you just poop blocks.
It’s like Smash Brothers but all you do is just poop blocks, right,” Scott laughs.
“We moderate every day, all day,” Scott says.
“We have a lot of patterns,” he smiles.
And that’s a big, important part.
We don’t want people to feel slapped down, or like they don’t belong there."
He goes on to praise the community itself for ensuring Kind Words remains a safe space.
“In-game user reporting is very important.
So, we don’t ban players.
You ban someone from a game and they’re going to lash out in other areas…
So banning wasn’t particularly helpful,” Scott says.
“I probably would have held this little Faberge egg too close.
I’d better keep it here forever.'”
Thankfully though, Scott is confident in Popcannibal’s latest project.
In addition, he has also started helping other developers who are creating their own games like Kind Words.
He specifically highlights Campfire, a game in which sharing emotions and listening to others is the main premise.
We all need a good talk under the stars," readsCampfire’s Steam page.
His message:
“It’s surprisingly meaningful to say something simple and perhaps unoriginal to somebody.
“Even the smallest of gestures can really help lift somebody up.”
If you need someone to talk to, the Samaritans are there to help.
Lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Other international suicide helplines can be found atBefrienders Worldwide.
you might also find more details on theMental Health Foundation here.
For Europe, more information on various helplines can be found viaMental Health Europe.
