Games for Health
I have set up a Digital Mental Health Group at Victoria University of Wellington. This mental health group is a collaboration with Health and Design. I am continuing my work from Norway where I set up Games for Health Norway.
Our current research is on Mobile mini-games for Mental Health. This is a co-design process with teenagers to develop games which use the best of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and game design to help give people more mental health tools. It also allows us to start the conversation about mental health from a solution focus rather then a problem focus.
I have had many students working on Health related research:
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PhD Students:
- Costas Boletsis: Augmented Reality games for Mild Cognitive Impairment. We developed a product called SmartKuber. This is a game to help identify and delay cognitive decline
- Russell Pine: Mini-games for mental health. Analysing the use of mobile games for mental health in teenagers.
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Masters:
- Cameron Hopkinson: Sparky: Minigame for mental health, 2019
- Olaf Hansen: An AR game for Autism: helping to train recognition of emotions Emotion recognition paper 2014
- Hanne Karlsen: Minigames for working memory training in ADHD: Collaboration with a medical practitioner. Hanne Karlsen 2013
Climate change
Perhaps the largest threat to our way of life is the risk of positive feedback loops as part of climate change. Controlling and limiting our Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and transitioning our economy is essential for our children.
My research related to climate change includes:
- Tres Karny: iOS app for visualisation and control of domestic electrical use. Working with Flick Electrical to visualise the use of power in the home. Integration of wireless power adapters to control home appliances.
- Hrshikesh Arora: Android app on visualisation and gamification of domestic electricity. Summer scholarship in 2019 -2020 working on an app to decrease carbon footprint for the University staff at Victoria University of Wellington.
- ESP AS: Electro Island, Sim City style game designed around various forms of traditional and alternative energy sources. Similar to "electocity" by Genisis energy.
