Design of a Mixed-Reality Serious Game to Tackle a Public Health Problem

Abstract

Despite the emergence of several game-based initiatives in health, aiming to train students and professionals and to support patients rehabilitation, some public health problems remains neglected. Mosquito-borne diseases are a global public health concern. Education and awareness of population are an important intervention strategy and should be part of public health policies, given that individuals behavior may affect the transmission dynamics of diseases. For instance, improper storage of water can become a breeding site for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector of dengue, zika, chikungunya and urban yellow fever viruses. Most of Aedes foci are in or near people’s homes and the control of mosquitoes population is essential to prevent these diseases. We believe that games are a powerful tool and can be used to support awareness and behavioral changes regarding public health issues. This paper presents the current development stage of a serious game designed to support actions based on education and engagement of population aimed at vector surveillance and control. A mix of a 2D game with augmented and virtual reality modules and the real world itself will provide the proper environment to offer fun with the purpose of helping to deal with this complex problem. The development is based on agile principles, with short cycles involving activities of conception, design, construction and evaluation. Some partial results are game design, prototypes and demos. Future work includes designing and conducting an experimental study to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency regarding knowledge acquiring and behavioral changes.