Game Design in Mental Healthcare: A Case Study based Framework for Integrating Game Design in Therapeutic Content (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED While there has been increasing interest in the use of gamification in mental healthcare, there is a lack of design knowledge on how elements from games could be integrated into existing therapeutic treatment activities in a manner which is balanced and effective. To help address this issue, we propose a design process framework to support the development of mental health gamification. Based on the concept of experienced game versus therapy worlds, we highlight four different therapeutic components that could be gamified to increase user engagement. By means of a dual-loop model, designers can balance the therapeutic and game-design components and design the core elements of a mental healthcare gamification. To support the proposed framework, four cases of game design in mental healthcare (e.g., therapeutic protocols for addiction, anxiety, and low-self-esteem) are presented.