Glitched wins Rep. Madeleine Dean’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Pennsylvania’s Fourth District

When asked what inspired the creation of Glitched, Lillian Cheng said, “The inspiration for Glitched came from my personal experiences seeing some of my friends struggle with their mental health, especially anxiety and depression. One of my closest friends had a severe condition that required her to take a long break from school to recover. Watching what she had to go through and not being able to help her directly made me realize how often mental illness goes unnoticed until it reaches a breaking point. Perhaps if she and those around her had noticed what was happening more, she could have been helped earlier. That thought left a lasting impact on me and motivated me to create something that could encourage understanding, empathy, and early recognition of mental health conditions.

“Beyond personal experiences, I was also influenced by the growing concern over adolescent mental health in general. Anxiety, depression, and emotional burnout rates among teenagers have risen significantly in the past few years, often fueled by performance pressures, social expectations, and the influence of toxic content online. Yet many teenagers struggle on quietly, either not realizing that they do so or thinking that it isn’t worth mentioning. I wanted to find a creative way to bring attention to these issues.

“When I was deciding how I wanted to design this project, I chose to make a video game because games have a unique power to engage players emotionally and mentally. Unlike a lecture, text, or even videos, games allow people to experience a message through their own actions and not just hear it. They combine storytelling, visuals, and interactivity in a way that immerses players and makes the experience personal. By placing players in the role of a character dealing with anxiety, Glitched lets them connect with the message in a more meaningful and profound way.”