Artist Statement

Gizelle is a self-taught digital artist with a passion for video games and character design. She has a love for storytelling where she enjoys creating captivating characters and immersive worlds, infusing each project with personality and narrative. She aims to further her career in game design and storytelling.

Gizelle’s dissertation dives into how mental illness is incorporated into horror games through the use of visuals, sound and gameplay mechanics. Through her research she delves into both the negative and positive portrayal of mental illness and how this could affect the perception of those playing the games.

‘Please, be patient with me’ is an interactive video mimicking a visual novel. Players would get to experience living in the shoes of someone who suffers from social and health anxiety aiming to make them empathize with, or else relate, with the main character. This is presented as a choice based video where players get to pick and choose how her story unfolds.