Desenvolvimento de um jogo sério para apoio ao tratamento de transtornos de ansiedade e depressão

Abstract

Anxiety and depression disorders represent one of the major global public health challenges, frequently facing access barriers and high dropout rates in traditional treatment. As a complementary alternative, serious games emerge as promising tools. The objective of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate the usability and immersion of a low-cost, highly accessible serious game, integrated with Artificial Intelligence technologies, acting as a complementary support tool for emotional regulation. The prototype was developed on the Unity engine (WebGL), focusing on sensorless interactions via webcam and microphone using the MediaPipe and Web Speech API libraries. The intervention was structured around three evidence-based ludic mechanics: diaphragmatic breathing, positive affirmations, and environmental organization. The study adopted a preliminary evaluation protocol with a non-clinical sample of 10 healthy young adults. Data collection employed the validated System Usability Scale (SUS) and the immersion subscale of the EGameFlow questionnaire. Quantitative results indicated excellent usability, with the system achieving a final composite SUS score of 85.8. The EGameFlow registered an overall average of 4.93 (on a 1 to 7 scale), demonstrating a medium level of immersive engagement, highlighting high cognitive absorption and distraction from daily worries (M = 5.70). Study limitations include the small size and non-clinical profile of the sample, as well as the tool's sensitivity to lighting variations and reliance on adequate hardware. It is concluded that the prototype presents technical viability and acceptability as an accessible support tool. However, the findings strictly reflect the engineering quality of the interface and do not allow for the inference of therapeutic efficacy, which will require future randomized controlled trials with diagnosed patients.