New Thesis Unveils Video Game for Managing Mild to Moderate Depression Symptoms

New video game designed for treating mild to moderate depressive symptoms using smartphone technology.

A serious mobile game-based psychological intervention, designed for depressive symptomatology, incorporates data from the smartphone’s movement sensor as an element of the game, offering a novel form of treatment that combines cognitive behavioral therapy and positive psychology techniques.
The game involves controlling a city to progress and strengthen the resilience of its inhabitants, promoting physical activity detected through the smartphone’s movement sensor.
Therapists and patients have positively evaluated the game as a treatment for mild to moderate depressive symptoms, showing interest in playing it.
A pilot randomized controlled study is being designed to evaluate the game’s effectiveness on a preliminary basis, combining different genres and psychological approaches.
The research, published in the journal Internet Interventions, presents a promising approach to expanding access to psychological treatments for depression using smartphone-based interventions.

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