Abstract:

Though using virtual reality (VR) as a substitute for exposition therapy in phobia treatments has become more popular in recent times, many of these VR-based treatments require the assistance of a psychologist or a therapist. Furthermore, the majority of VR therapy is targeted at socially-based phobias or anxiety disorders. Fear of the dark is one of the most common fears in children and can develop into a diagnosed phobia in their later lives, but has yet to be prevented or treated with VR therapy programs. A measure to help children overcome their fears in a safe environment together with their care-takers could help improve familial relationships and ease the stress that this kind of phobia introduces in home life. This article presents the game design of one such VR prototype and discusses its potential as a therapeutic instrument for children with phobia of the dark.

Fear of the dark is one of the most common fears in children and is thought to be a normal part of their development; however, a child’s fear of the dark can develop into a diag-nosed phobia in their later lives. 84.7% of children between 7 and 9 years of age suffer from mild nighttime fears. The fear of the dark can have a debilitating effect on a person’s life – or, if a child is affected, their caretakers’ lives also – as it inhibits leaving the house after dark, sleeping with a nightlight on, and suffering night terrors.

This article will thus approach five topics:
(1) the theoretical background of this study, which includes the following themes: virtual reality, gaming, and phobia;
(2) related work;
(3) method; and
(4) functional design, being that the fifth
(5) and final section of this paper concerns its conclusion.

A working functional prototype was developed and consisted of a serious game adventure for a young childreen (between 7 and 9 years old). A case study was conducted to child with fear of the dark, and the results were very positive in terms of motivation, satisfaction and tolerance to exposure to dark environments presented in the game. The protoype was developed with Unity3d and deployed on Oculus Go VR head-set.

The game consisted of an opne world that was divided into three differently lit areas.The first was set in daylight, the second one in a setting sun phase, and the third was set at night. The fourth and final setting of the game happend in a dark cave where there are no light sources.
The world model was built with Gaia (a world-building asset for Unity3D), exported to Blender for stylization and simplification and then imported back into Unity3D, where it was then populated with free 3D assets downloaded from the Unity Asset Store (i.e. trees, grass, water, animals, and other props).

The prototype’s environment shares some characteristics with open-world video games, as the player can explore each area at their own pace before deciding to advance to the next one. This aspect was included in the gameplay to allow for the player to advance without feeling pressured by other factors such as in-game time or enemies.

This study shows the potential of VR as a therapeutic game for children and should be further explored. Narrative, perceptive imersion and the game environment is able to captivate a child’s attention and motivate them into playing until the end, which will ideally soothe their anxiety, and, through repeated usage of the prototype, lessen the degree of their fear of the dark.

Keywords:

Virtual Reality, Digital Storytelling, Fear of the dark, Serious Game.