Game-Based Prevention of Social Anxiety in Young People

Social anxiety, a mental disorder that manifests as a persistent and excessive fear of social situations, affects a considerable number of young people worldwide. To contribute to its solution, we developed Gisselle's Adventure, a serious game that aims to prevent the onset of this disorder in young individuals. To create it, we adhered to a methodology for the development of video games rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). To assess the efficacy of our game, we conducted a randomized control trial. Results show that, at p < 0.05, we obtained a statistically significant value. In this document, we introduce Gisselle's Adventure, discuss its benefits and limitations, and briefly outline our future plans for improvement.