Jagex Games Studio, the creators of RuneScape, have partnered with The Prince’s Trust, CPSL Mind, and YMCA Right Here to support and raise awareness of young people struggling with mental health.

Jagex has welcomed over 250 million players into its virtual world, and millions more watch the game through social media channels.  This partnership between developer and charity offers unique new ways to engage Jagex’s large, active community with issues important to its players, fans, and their loved ones.

Throughout 2017, Jagex will host a series of in-game and real-world events to support The Trust and promote mental health awareness. Mental Health Awareness Week has seen RuneScape kick off a two-week in-game event, Gielinorian Giving, where players can purchase a one-off suit of armour, supporting The Trust with their RuneCoin currency. Players will also be able to interact with a Prince’s Trust character to hear more about our Mental Health strategy.

This week, Jagex has also been delivering a Prince’s Trust Get Started with Game Design programme which will see 15 young people participate in workshops designed to build their confidence, experience and game design skills. The course finishes with the young people participating in Jagex’s Game Jam, an event that sees the young people collaborating with Jagex’s game developers to create a game idea over a 2-day period.

Phil Mansell, COO and Acting CEO of Jagex, said:

Our passionate and generous RuneScape community has helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for some incredible causes over the last few years. By focusing on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people through partnering with these three charities, we hope they will once again come together and help people receive the backing they need to cope with the turbulence of the world today.

Ben Marson, Director of Corporate Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust, said:

Here at The Prince’s Trust, we’ve recently seen an increase in the need for mental health support amongst the young people coming to us for help, so the focus of this partnership with Jagex couldn’t be more timely. By hosting Get Started in Games Design with Jagex, we can develop young people’s confidence and skills to improve their wellbeing and help them get a job.

The Prince’s Trust and Jagex are united in their passion and commitment to supporting young people who struggle with mental health.