A guideline study for serious game design to be used in the therapy of abused children

Serious games are frequently used in various fields such as education, medicine, defense, health, and engineering. In recent years, research on the implementation of serious games in therapeutic processes has also commenced. These serious games are especially employed for children and adolescents dealing with conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, Asperger's syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and general psychotherapy needs. This study aims to create a serious game design guideline that can be used in the therapy processes of abused children between the ages of 6-12. In this context, common design criteria were identified by analyzing games developed for children and tested for their therapeutic effect. Based on these criteria, a two-module serious game concept was formulated, which can be incorporated into the therapy processes for abused children. The resultant game concept has been documented through the creation of a game design template specifically tailored for therapeutic games.