Gamifying Interventions

A key ingredient in successful psychological therapies is found in patients' motivation and willingness to engage in and follow through with the therapy program. Engaging children is challenging for various reasons, such as their role in their presentation for treatment and differences in parent and child motivations. This chapter explores the utility of serious games as a potential option that offers an engaging and effective approach to psychiatric treatment for children and adolescents with mental health difficulties. The authors review research projects utilizing the serious games methodology at the Child Guidance Clinic, an outpatient psychiatric clinic for children and adolescents in Singapore, in the management of various mental health concerns. The utility and feasibility of gamified interventions for autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, anxiety disorders, and anger management issues are discussed, along with practical implications for the application of serious games in mental healthcare.