Kids Save Lives by Learning through a Serious Game

Abstract

This study focuses on the development and assessment of a serious game for health (SGH) aimed at educating children about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A video game was created using the Berkeley Snap platform, which uses block programming. Eye-tracking technology was utilized to validate the graphic design. To assess the tool’s effectiveness, a pre-post analytical study was conducted with primary education children to measure the knowledge acquired. The study involved 52 participants with a mean age of 9 years. The results from a custom questionnaire used to measure their theoretical CPR knowledge showed significant improvements in CPR knowledge after the use of the videogame, and their emotional responses improved as well. The assessment of the knowledge acquired through the video game obtained an average score of 5.25 out of 6. Ten video segments consisting of 500 frames each (20 s of video per segment) were analyzed. Within these segments, specific areas that captured the most relevant interaction elements were selected to measure the child’s attention during game play. The average number of gaze fixations, indicating the points in which the child’s attention was placed within the area of interest, was 361.5 out of 500. In conclusion, the utilization of SGH may be an effective method for educating kids about CPR, to provide them with fundamental knowledge relevant to their age group.

Keywords

• training
• cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• serious game
• eye tracking
• children
• videogames