SemTh

Abstract

Therapeutic digital games are able to conceal therapeutic tasks behind a fantasy world, and thus increase patient motivation and adherence to therapies. The design of this category of games differs from others since it requires an understanding of the domain of therapy that has to be addressed, as well as the necessary knowledge of game development. Research in the literature has highlighted that there is a lack of a formal approach that can allow a multidisciplinary team to be involved in the design of this category of games. This paper adopts a semio-participatory approach to the design of therapeutic digital games, which includes a multidisciplinary team and supports the different profiles of professionals who take part in the whole design process. The approach, called SemTh, was based on a) data from the literature, b) reports of the experiences of professionals who have designed therapeutic games and c) an evaluation of researchers in the areas of computation and health. SemTh was used to devise a therapeutic game for children diagnosed with cancer. The approach was evaluated by the professionals involved in the process of game construction and obtained positive results, mainly with regard to understanding the domain, the needs of the target users and the therapeutic aspects of the game.