In consultation with young people and care professionals, GGz Centraal and 8D have developed a prototype for the ‘Lifestyle Challenge’, a serious game that supports young people with psychiatric problems in learning and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The results from the co-creation process are promising, according to Bianca Braakhuis, Program Manager Lifestyle: ‘With lifestyle change you have to work together; you can’t impose it from above as a healthcare professional. In that sense, designing this game together is an important step in the right direction. It gets young people and professionals thinking in a fun way about what they themselves need to make lifestyle change successful.
An important milestone within the innovation process was the co-creation session with young people between the ages of 14 and 18, all with a mental vulnerability. Bas Altenburg, supervisor of the session and game designer at 8D: “It was nice to notice how much energy was released when we started talking about the game, both with the young people and with our team. We are looking for unfiltered perspectives from the target audience in such a session, because otherwise we can’t make a game that appeals to them. That’s an equal and safe entry point for a conversation, no matter how serious or sensitive the topic. Braakhuis adds, “These young people often face stigmas. People make all kinds of assumptions about what they could or could not do. The designers of 8D approached the participants like any other group of teenagers. Instead, they zoomed in on their talents, so their vulnerability was not an issue at all. The young people made an indispensable contribution to the prototype for the game and, above all, had a lot of fun.
The proposed game concept allows young people and professionals to set personalized goals together and monitor them together in a visual way. In addition to the custom options, the game should include predetermined challenges with which young people can earn extra points. Altenburg: “We are thinking of daily assignments and weekly assignments. Day assignments are very low-threshold, such as a short walk. A weekly assignment is slightly more challenging, for example: do a trial lesson of a sport you like. Such an assignment is easier when you have already achieved other successes through the game. Just as it is easier to make something of your day if immediately after getting up you already perform one simple task, such as making your bed.’
Young people also indicated that they would like to share the completion of challenges with fellow group members, for example using a photo. This functionality has also been included in the prototype. Altenburg: “That social aspect can be very motivating, but also brings new challenges. For example: how do we build the game in such a way that the atmosphere among ourselves remains safe, without putting an extra burden on the healthcare professionals?’
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The co-creation session with care professionals at GGz Centraal also underscored the importance of further developing the prototype. Braakhuis: ‘Our professionals see this game concept as a powerful tool to fill a gap in the field of psycho-education. Much is known about the positive effects of sufficient sleep, healthy eating and regular exercise – but how to stimulate young people to actually put this into practice is something for which there are few tools. The Lifestyle Challenge would give young people a great deal of support to keep busy with a healthy lifestyle even after treatment. We are therefore very motivated to find follow-up financing for the technical realization of the game.
The Lifestyle Challenge is made possible in part by a contribution from the Christine Bader Foundation Irene Children’s Hospital. Questions or comments can be emailed to leefstijl@ggzcentraal.nl.
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