Abstract:

The aim of this study was to build a digital game for adolescents in order to address action strategies for anxiety in the teaching and learning process. Issues related to stress, depression, and anxiety in adolescents have stood out mainly in the post-pandemic context. Adolescence is a stage of human development marked by numerous transformations that, from the point of view of emotional health, may represent a time when several disorders are capable of manifesting themselves. In this context, it is understood that in the teaching and learning process, students need to build mechanisms to work with situations that generate anxiety, for example. Anxiety is understood in this work as a vague and unpleasant feeling of fear or apprehension; characterized by tension or discomfort derived from anticipation of danger, something unknown or strange. Thus, it is evident the construction of a digital game that presents problem situations is a possibility to address anxiety in the classroom. The situations presented to provide a meta-reflection on the emotions of students in the face of stressful moments present in a classroom. The methodology used was qualitative, of the Design Science Research type, in which the artifact developed is the digital game itself. For this, it was necessary to go through four steps, the first being pre-production which includes the planning of the game, the second project which includes exploring the tool for building the game, the third production for the implementation of the interface and programming and, the post-production room with the game's functioning tests. As a result, the game, available free of charge, was developed containing different situations for the adolescents to solve, such as adequate nutrition; preparation for an exam; procrastination, and asking for help. Therefore, it is possible to use this material as an indicator of anxiety symptoms in students. It is important to emphasize that this game can be an ally of the professor as a pedagogical strategy in the classroom since it allows the professor to be attentive to the needs of the student, since the severity of this disease in individuals in adolescence deserves a follow-up, in order to try to reduce or minimize the consequences for the future. Furthermore, the intention of the game is not to give a diagnosis or a solution for anxiety but to be a starting point to try to understand your habits and the need for change in the long journey in search of treatment.

Keywords:

Adolescence, anxiety, digital game.