JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Children are shaped by the events in their lives, some of which may be traumatic. Consequently, it is vital that children develop skills to understand and cope with stress and emotions. Such skills can be fostered in schools through trauma informed programs and the promotion of social emotional learning (SEL). One tool that can be used to teach these schools is videogames. Previous studies in Europe have shown that videogames can be used to improve youth mental health and emotional intelligence. A videogame Brain Agents was developed by Night City and Colombia College Chicago and produced by STRYV365, a non-profit based in Milwaukee. The game immerses players in narrative scenarios that emphasize the value of practicing resilience, being in touch with emotions and wellbeing, and establishing positive social relationships through storyline and minigames.

Objective:

We hypothesize that Brain Agents use by students in grades 5-9 in four Milwaukee schools will improve their SEL and resiliency. · Specific Aims: We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of Brain Agents.

Methods:

In academic years 2022-24, a cluster randomized, incomplete block factorial design of interventions was developed in four schools and five grade levels. During four semesters over two years, students in classes are exposed to Brain Agents, another STRYV365 coaching program called peak team, both, or no intervention each semester. With parent consent, students participate in focus groups or interviews at the end each semester Transcripts of the sessions were analyzed using a qualitative positivist paradigm and eight core themes were coded in the software program Dedoose.

Results:

Eight core themes were identifiedincluding: experience with Brain Agents, awareness of and ability to control emotions, future goals, traits proud of, current challenges, and perceptions of neighborhood. Students overall reported positive experiences with the game andoffered suggestions on how to improve it. Most reported that feelings of anger were the cause of loss of emotional control and many voiced differing strategies to self-calm. Students also reported many extrinsic and intrinsic traits that they were proud of as well as educational, career, and extracurricular goals.

Conclusions:

Many students reported positive experiences with the Brain Agents although some reported problems and glitches. Similar to previous studies, this study suggests that videogames can promote emotional intelligence with students learning emotional awareness and coping strategies. As one of the first studies of its kind in the US, this study shows that gamification can be used to promote SEL in schools and children with traumatic backgrounds.