JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

It is considered advantageous to adopt an interdisciplinary approach when creating serious games in the sphere of health practice. However, different fields have reported that interdisciplinary work is challenging. Yet, the literature is scarce regarding how participants within health research have experienced collaborative research. In 2019 and 2020 three teams worked together to produce a serious game for children undergoing radiotherapy. The game was designed for children aged 5-14 years.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of the participants in the teams from the production phase of a serious game about radiotherapy.

Methods:

Thirteen in depth interviews were carried out with members from all three teams. The teams included game designers, a research team, and an expert team. The latter consisted of a play therapist, a pediatric nurse, and radiation oncology nurses. A reflective thematic analysis was performed where one main theme and four subthemes were formulated.

Results:

The main theme was: A learning experience during the participatory process. The subthemes were: 1) New insights were established due to the collaboration, 2) Games give the impression of being easy, yet are complex to produce, 3) The amount of time spent meeting in the teams was beneficial to the experience, and 4) The impact of having confidence in the game that was designed. In conclusion, knowledge expansion arose on several levels during the production phase.

Conclusions:

Having time and building trust in team constellations are significant factors in achieving a productive and favorable/beneficial experience for participants. Further, confidence in the end product could be a contributory factor for participants continuing to work and the understanding of the complexity of the evolving process.