World Mental Health Day is on October 10, and Zynga is partnering with Born This Way Foundation to help raise awareness around the importance of mental health and the various resources available to people around the world.
Words With Friends, Zynga's popular puzzle game, will take part in the promotion by featuring the word "STAY" as its Word of the Day on October 10. "We want to let our communities know they are not alone and reaffirm our commitment to provide support, acceptance, and a sense of community," said Bernard Kim, President of Publishing at Zynga. "We're proud to partner with Born This Way Foundation to heighten public awareness about the importance of mental health."
Players will also be able to gain direct access to mental health resources, information, and other forms of support in-game – all provided by Born This Way Foundation.
Mental health is often a taboo topic of discussion, but the foundation is doing everything it can to make sure people realize that this shouldn't be the case. "Thanks to this initiative, we are encouraging open, honest conversations around mental health and highlighting urgently-needed resources on the game's platform," said Cynthia Germanotta, President and Co-founder of Born This Way Foundation.
Words With Friends has a massive reach, with players of all demographics playing the game around the world. The partnership between the two organizations is sure to bring more awareness to the importance of mental health and will hopefully start a conversation about how we can better develop resources to help those in need.
Born This Way Foundation was co-founded by Cynthia Germanotta and her daughter, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – better known as Lady GaGa. The two have been working tirelessly to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health, especially among young adults.
The collaboration will take place on October 10 in Words With Friends, and you'll even have the chance to sign the "Please Stay" pledge to show your support for the mental health movement.