Over the past few years there has been a growing number of games that have social intentions, and indeed the Games for Change festival, which aims to bring such folks together, is now in it’s 12th year.

Over the last few years I’ve written about games that aim to improve understanding of literature, a number that have aimed to conduct scientific research via games, some for biodiversity related projects, and even to improve community cohesion.

Each project aims to tap into our inherent desire to do things we enjoy, whilst at the same time using that input to help something worthwhile.

Using games to help traumatized children

It’s hard to imagine a more worthy cause than helping traumatized children, and that’s the intention of the Triangle of Life game that was developed by students from Carnegie Mellon University.

The app, which was developed in conjunction with the mental health organization Allegheny Health Network, gamifies the recovery of each young patient by giving them a chance to put into practice the life skills they’ve learned through their work with therapists outside of those official sessions.

I’ve written a number of times about studies highlighting the impact of games on our absorption of facts and behavioral changes, and there is therefore much to suggest it can be enormously beneficial.

Nowhere was this more evident than with the Jordi-Stick, which I wrote about earlier this year.  This takes a gamified approach to help young people manage cystic fibrosis.

The Triangle of Life app is based on the theory of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  The aim is to assist children from 8-12 years of age who have suffered traumatic experiences in their life, whether that’s sexual abuse or even the death of a loved one.

The game sees players exploring a jungle environment as a lion.  The character has to interact with the other animals in the jungle, and through these interactions gain a better understanding of their thoughts and feelings.

The game hopes to provide the player with a number of cognitive coping skills and to help them swap negative thoughts with more positive ones, thus building on and reinforcing what their therapist will be doing in official sessions with them.

It’s a really nice way to support young people in a format that will be both fun and helpful.