The iterative and incremental design of serious game.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The development and design of a serious game intervention to support and promote recovery of service users who experience serious mental illness and who are detained under the mental health act. Stage 2: The iterative and incremental design of a 2D, non-playable game model into a 3D playable game.
IRAS ID
249238
Contact name
Martin Fitzgerald
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bradford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 0 days
Research summary
Serious games are activities that enable the leaning of skills that can be applied to real life situations. The aim of this project is to develop a serious game activity to facilitate understanding by people with severe mental health problems of their health challenges and assist their recovery. This will be achieved by increasing the person’s ability to cope with their illness and its resulting stressors through the use of gaming. Improved coping can have a positive impact on prognosis, long-term health and successful community living. The project involves consultation with people who have experienced serious mental illness and with rehabilitation professionals who work with this user group. The study will take place at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust at the low secure and step down from secure rehabilitation services. This project is stage 2 of three stages. Stage 1 involved the use of service user and staff focus groups to identify the game type, format and mechanics of a potential game. The outcome of this stage was a 2D, non-playable game model. Stage 2 involves the iterative and incremental development of this model into a 3D playable game. Stage 3 will involve the testing of this game model in a naturalistic setting. Iterative and incremental design involves adding new functionality in repeated (iterative) cycles of small and incremental development portions. This process allows developers to learn and take advantage of what was learnt in previous cycles and the application of this knowledge in future cycles. This process facilitates early user involvement in the design process and is therefore compatible with co-design and co-production values. This project will utilise focus groups, design workshops and technical development sessions to produce the output of the study, a 3D, playable serious game that can be tested in a naturalistic setting.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0576
Date of REC Opinion
19 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion