Exploring Augmented Reality in Multiplayer Game Design to Promote Empathy and Prosocial Behavior

Empathy, a fundamental human characteristic that influences both prosocial and antisocial behavior, has gained popularity in recent educational programs. This article proposes the design of a multi-player cyber-physical gaming environment with Augmented Reality for the execution of group activities following a circular empathy model. This model is transformed into a gamified framework of tasks and steps with main emphasis on the execution of scenarios that generate affective, cognitive, reflective and social experiences to promote empathy and prosocial behavior. Our proposal was evaluated by a group of 34 high school students and the results revealed increased empathy and prosocial behavior in the participants. The preliminary results are promising and are a motive for the future construction of gamified environments to promote empathy in terms of prosocial behavior in children and teenagers.