Serious Game Design Principles for Children with Autism to Facilitate the Development of Emotion Regulation

Abstract

—Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a deficit-driven neurodevelopmental condition in three areas, which are social interactions, communication, and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. Children with autism mainly suffer from emotional disturbance that emerges as meltdowns, tantrums, and aggression, increasing the risk of developing mental health issues. Several studies have assessed the use of serious games in helping children with autism enhance their communication, learning, and social skills. Significantly, these serious games focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the disorder to establish a comfortable and controlled environment that is able to support children with autism. However, there is still a lack of evidence in studies exploring the use of serious games for children with autism to facilitate the development of emotion regulation. The aim of this study is to consolidate and propose a new serious game design principle for children with autism to facilitate the development of emotion regulation. The target age of the children involved in this study ranged between 6 and 12. A review of previous literature on serious game design principles was conducted. More than 70 articles related to serious games for children with autism were analysed using thematic analysis. This study found 16 elements that influenced the designing and developing process of creating a serious game for children with autism. It has been organised and categorised into five attributes (user, game objectives, game elements, game aesthetics, and player experience). Certainly, this study demonstrates the needs and requirements of children with autism when designing serious games.