Marianne our Interactive Manager is the brain behind new and
innovative projects. Reach Out Central has been her baby since the
start. She talks about the program and its potential benefits for
you:
It's hard to remember exactly where the idea for Reach Out
Central (ROC) came from and, looking back on its evolution, it
seems it stemmed from conversations, insights and research over a
period of time with staff, young people and other
professionals. One of the important factors was that we knew
from user profiling surveys that only 20% of Reach Out users were
male, a ratio that has remained steady for a number of years (and
is a trend for most health services).
As many of you would be aware from experience, research suggests
that males are particular poor at recognising they have a problem
and reaching out for help. One of the key recommendations of
research into help-seeking and young people is that services need
to be taken into spaces young people are comfortable in. Outreach
is recognised as being effective and is increasingly common in face
to face delivery. It is also applicable and important to internet
services, including Reach Out.
Feedback from Reach Out Youth Ambassadors suggested that much of
the content on site at the time, in the form of static, text-heavy
fact sheets and stories, may not be engaging for males who
generally prefer less text-based content and more interactive
learning.
At the same time, we knew that the majority of young people play
video games (on console or computers), with 65% of young males
playing games daily. Games are engaging, interactive,
empowering and encourage the development of cognitive skills such
as problem solving and lateral thinking.
We decided that developing a mental health game could be an
effective way of engaging young males. As with all content on Reach
Out, it was important that it was evidence based and developed with
young people. Based on the successful Adolescents Coping with
Emotions (ACE) schools program, ROC is underpinned by
Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Social Cognitive Theory.
ROC was funding from the Sony Foundation and beyondblue, web
development by Massive Interactive, with the game design and script
by commercial game consultants The Game Mechanic. Young people were
involved in the design and content of the site to ensure it remains
credible and realistic.
Reach Out Central (ROC) is an
innovative serious game developed to improve the mental health and
wellbeing of young people, particularly young men, by increasing
their problem solving, help-seeking and communication skills. It
allows young people to explore how their thinking, behaviour and
choices influence their mental health. It is unique in being the
only mental health serious game in Australia available on the
internet.
ROC has been developed in consultation with psychologists, young
people, gaming experts and with the support of beyondblue: the
national depression initiative and the Sony Foundation. It combines
cutting-edge technology with the established principles of
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to provide a series of modules
that help young people aged 14-25 develop life skills to manage
mental health difficulties and build resilience.
An independent controlled trial evaluation conducted by
Swinburne University of Technology in 2008 found that ROC reduced
psychological distress, alcohol use and avoidance behaviour. It
also found that ROC improved life satisfaction, resilience, problem
solving and help seeking. The study concluded that ROC appears to
have the capacity to be a useful primary and early intervention
tool, enhancing protective factors in young people
ROC is a single-player role play game with innovative 3D
graphics that requires broadband access. With real-life scenarios
and characters, players can see how their decisions and reactions
affect their moods, and apply skills they learn offline in their
day-to-day lives. Players can access 'big picture' learnings and
useful tips on how to make future decisions that have a more
positive influence on their mental health.
There are many potential benefits with using ROC, including:
- Taking advantage of the wide appeal of online gaming,
particularly for young males
- Being an interactive way to engage young people
- young people can explore a range of relevant issues, and learn
relevant life skills, in a non-threatening, youth friendly
format.
- It can be used before, during or after a session
- It can be used in group work
Conversely, some challenges with ROC are:
- It may not be suitable for young people with very low computer
or verbal skills.
- It can also be slow to load and move through in sections
and
- young people who are seasoned "gamers" may find the program
cumbersome.
Have you used ROC or other 'serious games' in your practice? If
so, how? If not, would you consider doing so in the future?