A mobile serious game to promote digital wellness among pre-school children

Abstract

Children today are more exposed to cyberspace and cyber threats than any of the previous generations. Due to the ever-evolving nature of digital technologies, devices like cell phones and tablets are more accessible to both young and old and although technological advancements create many opportunities to its users, it also exposes them to many different threats. Young users are especially vulnerable to these threats, as they are rarely educated about these threats and how to protect themselves against it. One possible solution to this problem is to create a mobile serious game that promotes digital wellness among pre-school children. Digital wellness can be defined as maintaining a good mental and physical well-being when using digital and online technologies. This study aims to identify different critical elements that, when implemented into a mobile serious game, will result in a game that is fun to play, appropriate for pre-school children and will spread awareness of digital wellness among the pre-school children. The question that this study aims to answer is: \What critical elements should be implemented into a mobile serious game to effectively promote digital wellness among pre-school children?" In order to answer the research question, a literature review was conducted to identify critical elements and these elements were then implemented in a mobile serious game. The game was reviewed by six experts in the field of pre-school education, to validate the identified elements and to identify any possible additional elements. The results of the expert review verified that all of the elements identified from the literature are critical elements and the reviewers identified five additional elements. The following critical elements were thus identified: structured challenge; fantasy; choice; rules; competition; clear and simple goals; aesthetics; quality feedback and rewards; appropriate interface; balanced simplicity and complexity; use of appropriate material for the target group; presenting of the material in an appropriate way; focusing on different topics of digital wellness; short playtime; balanced work and play; quality interactions and replayability.