Mental Health in the Game Industry: 2025 Survey

Take This, a mental health nonprofit serving the game development community, presents its 2025 survey-based white paper on developer mental health and well-being. Authored by Take This and Elizabeth Kilmer, PhD, it was presented at the 2026 GDC Festival of Gaming and published in March 2026. The central argument is that, despite the game industry's standing as one of the largest sectors in entertainment, there is little research on the major stressors, burnout symptoms, and coping strategies of the people who make games. The work aims to fill that gap and support developer well-being and resilience to burnout.

According to the description, the survey of game developers set out to identify four things: the top stressors developers face, the coping strategies they use, the supports the industry currently provides, and the resources developers actually want. The framing, including a pointed aside that developers are not asking for pizza parties, suggests a critique of superficial workplace perks and a call for more substantive, practice-based mental health support.

The available text covers only the landing page and summary, not the report's body. It gives no sample size, demographic breakdown, geographic scope, statistical findings, or detailed methodology. The survey year is 2025, and the findings were shared publicly in 2026. Specific data on stressor rankings, burnout prevalence, and preferred resources sit in the downloadable full white paper, which this text does not reproduce.

Take This describes itself as a 501(c)(3) organization that combines clinical best practice with an understanding of gaming culture. The research fits its broader mission of reducing stigma and increasing mental health support across the game development community, and it is meant to inform the industry consulting, workshops, and resources the organization offers.