Hellblade developer launches Senua’s Scholarship to bolster mental health training

Ninja Theory has openly been an advocate for mental health awareness since its depiction of psychosis, often donating tens of thousands to charity. In an effort to mark yesterday’s World Mental Health Day, the developer announced a new scholarship designed to fund students undergoing metal health training.

The scholarship was made in collaboration with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, the same mental health specialists that worked with Ninja Theory for three years in creating Hellblade’s protagonist, Senua. Specifically, it was CPFT’s Recovery College East that helped the developer craft a BAFTA-winning portrayal of psychosis, all while remaining sensitive to the cause.

“The student awarded Senua’s Scholarship will be supported by the college team to develop their training skills and work towards a professional training qualification. The qualification will enable them to have the opportunity to develop a career in adult education,” explains CPFT’s Laura Marshall.

Ninja Theory commercial director Dominic Matthews praises the work that CPFT’s Recovery College East does, stating that the developer is “very happy to be supporting the college in this way and look forward to meeting the very first recipient of the scholarship later this year.” Although it’s not explicitly stated in the post, it’s presumed that this will be an annual process.

Alongside Senua’s Scholarship, Ninja Theory released a 25-minute documentary exploring the experts that the developer worked with in the creation of Hellblade, as well as “those with lived experience of voice hearing to create a truthful representation of psychosis.”

KitGuru Says: Now that Ninja Theory has been picked up by Microsoft, there’s no telling what could come next. Still, I admire the continued effort on pushing mental health advocacy and can only hope that this will persist as the studio moves forward.

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