Developing A Game-Based Intervention To Improve Social Belonging
When someone feels socially isolated or uncertain about their belonging, their mental and physical health can suffer. Students might experience lower grades and even see their career prospects worsen. We know that interventions focused on improving social belonging can lessen many of these negative effects, but current interventions are typically too burdensome to complete. An alternative intervention to promote social belonging was tested: a collaborative card game. Similar to how games are playtested, participants were recruited to brainstorm content for the game and pilot test several prototypes. This presentation will cover the development and results of the study, as well as what possible future implications game-based interventions might have for the game industry and academia alike.