Abstract:

InnerWorlds is an Erasmus+ project aimed at raising awareness of the importance of mental health during adolescence by developing an educational and engaging mobile video game targeted at young people aged 12 to 18.
Grounded in established psychological certainties, the video game is built upon a Handbook specifically created for the project. The InnerWorld Video Game includes four core modules:
- Understanding mental health concepts
- Self-assessment tools
- Reporting mechanisms
- Building resilience

To ensure that the video game is aligned with adolescents’ gameplay expectations, the development process established in the InnerWorlds project begins with a series of co-design and co-creation sessions carried out in the four partner countries: Spain, Romania, Cyprus, and Austria.

The aim of these sessions is to collect insights into adolescents’ preferences regarding video game genres, mechanics, gameplay elements, and art styles. To achieve this, a series of participatory workshops has been designed, including open chats, hands-on tasks, and visual card activities. A key principle of this process is to give participants full creative freedom, ensuring that their choices are not influenced by the educational purpose of the game.

To accommodate developmental differences, the sessions have been tailored to two age groups, one for 12 to 14 years old and one for those aged 15–18. Across both groups, the methodology is participative, youth-centred and designed to foster creativity, ownership and engagement.

Given the involvement of minors and the project’s thematic focus, ethical considerations are integrated into every phase.

The collected data will then be analysed and presented to parents, teachers, psychologists, and youth workers to obtain additional feedback and ensure that the proposed design is not only based on adolescent’s interests but also developmentally appropriate, ethically sound, and supportive of their well-being.

Once the final version of the video game is completed, a multinational pilot phase will be conducted to assess its social, psychological, and educational impact, and to collect insights for further refinement.

Keywords:

Erasmus+, Video Game, Mental Health, Adolescents, Co-creation.