The "Get involved by gaming" project aims to actively utilize gaming habits of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems in their rehabilitation. The project involves studio sessions where participants, including those with mental health issues and healthcare professionals, discuss various topics related to gaming and mental health. The goals are to strengthen participants' self-efficacy and sense of involvement through digital serious games, reflect on attitudes towards gaming, and develop new social and health care services using gamification. Initial sessions have seen positive and engaging discussion between diverse participants and ideas generated for further applications of gaming in healthcare.

1. Get involved by gaming
”My life matters”
Paper prepared for Track 5 Mental health,
Games for Health Europe 6th Conference,
Utrecht,
1.11.2016
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Department of Social- and Health Studies, Piippukatu 2,
40100, Jyväskylä, Finland
e-mail: hanna.hopia@jamk.fi
Katja Raitio
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Department of Social- and Health Studies, Piippukatu 2,
40100, Jyväskylä, Finland
e-mail: katja.raitio@jamk.fi
Hanna Hopia

2. Abstract
The number of adolescents and young adults with mental health
disorders is steadily growing. Digital gaming is also increasing. At the
same time social and health care professionals often consider the
negative aspects of gaming. The “Get involved by gaming” -project is
targeted at adolescents and young adults with mental health problems,
at experience experts and at the social and health care professionals in
the units providing mental health rehabilitation services. The aim of the
project is to actively utilize mental health rehabilitees’ gaming habits in
their rehabilitation by means of a new kind of cooperation.
Keywords: Gamification, serious games, health games, mental health
rehabilitation
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi

3. Background 1/2
• A lump sum project: ”Gaining health by gaming?”
Hopia, H. & Raitio, K. 2016. Gamification in Healthcare: Perspectives of Mental Health
Service Users and Health Professionals. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. Accepted in
Publication.
• Something needs to be done differently?
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi3

4. Background 2/2
Students experiences:
“…there are pros and coins…”
“…at first I was very confused about it and did not really
understand the meaning of it. The more I played it the more
I understand that it may actually help someone…”
“…I think I'd rather use just a book or internet. Using a
mobile phone for nursing purposes at work sounds a bit too
modern for me and not so professional…”
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi4

5. Get involved by gaming
• Project operates 1.8.2015-31.12.2017
• Is funded by European Social Fund (ESF)
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi5

6. Goals
• To actively use digital serious- and health games in mental health
rehabilitation in order to strengthen participants’ self-efficacy and sense of
involvement
• To systematically use the knowledge of experience experts when
developing social- and health care services
• To reflect social- and health care professionals’ attitudes towards digital
services and digital games
• To improve participants’ digital skills
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi6

7. Target groups
• Adolescents and young adults (with mental health
problems) who already spend time with digital gaming
• Experience experts (gaming history is not required)
• Social- and health care professionals working in unit´s
providing mental health rehabilitation services (gaming
history is not required)
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi7

8. Steps
• Project includes 3 phases:
- Planning 08/2015 – 01/2016
- Studio sessions 02/2016 – 04/2017
- Implementation 05/2017 – 12/2017
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi8

9. Game catalogue
www.jamk.fi/pelikatalogi
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi9

10. Studio sessions http://blogit.jamk.fi/pelatenosalliseks/
• Studio sessions will be carried
out once a month, for a 7
month period / per group
• Between the sessions
participants will actively play
existing digital serious- and
health games
• Interviews at the beginning, in
the middle and at the end of the
session period
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi10

11. Topics of Studio sessions
1. Game on – What are serious games?
2. Game workshop – How games have helped people?
3. Why to play? – Advantages and disadvantages of gaming
4. Balance your weekdays by gaming – My own Gamer Motivation
Profile
5. Balance your health by gaming – Game laboratory
6. Game development – The story of a local game company
7. How to develop new kind of social- and health care services? –
Digital workshop
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi11

12. Between the Studio sessions Eliademy –
workspace is used to communicate etc.
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi12

13. Tentative experiences of Studio sessions
• First round of sessions ended 09/2016 and new group
started 10/2016
• First session group had:
- 4 young adults (male)
- 3 experience experts (female)
- 5 social- and health care professionals (male and
female)
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi13

14. ”…The best part has been, that people with so
different backgrounds are gathered together to
reflect this issue…”
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi14

15. Complementarity, dialogue, empowerment
• ”…I was able to give something to others and they gave
something to me…”
• ”…Everyone participated to common discussion. There
was room for different opinions, new ideas and lots of
humor…”
• ”…I think I was an important part of the sessions…”
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi15

16. Is it possible to change attitudes?
• ”…I suddenly realized that there is so much more than
negative addiction behind games and gaming…”
• ”…It was interesting to see that some participants really
tried to play and they had no ideas how to use gamepad.
I haven´t thought that it might be so difficult…”
• ”…knowledge has broadened my thinking – why didn´t I
know this when my boys were younger…”
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi16

17. What could be done differently?
• Maybe more contacts?
• More gaming (especially VR)
• The order of topics
• Maybe something about the history of serious games?
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi17

18. How to develop new kind of social- and health care
services? How to use gamification?
Examples of new ideas and openings during the first
session round:
• iPad´s to day hospital for cancer patients
• Co-operation with a couple of schools – Studio sessions
for parents and youths
• Studying ”…I got courage to study more…”
• Game happenings
• Project ideas
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi18

19. What happens next?
• New round of Studio sessions started 10/2016
• At the same time pilotins different kind of sessions
• Implementation – phase starts 05/2017
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi19

20. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
If you want to know more (and if you are able to assimilate it in finnish…)
• Punna, M. & Raitio, K. 2016. Mobiilimenetelmät ja pelillisyys työmenetelminä sosiaali‐ ja terveysalan
Asiakastyössä. Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare, Accepted in publication.
• Hopia, H. & Raitio, K. 2016. Eskapismista todellisuuteen ja takaisin – hyöty- ja terveyspelit osana
mielenterveyskuntoutumista. Teoksessa TAITO2016 Oppimisen ydintä etsimässä. Toim. Tuomi, J., Ketola, S. &
Nuutinen, L. Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisuja 2016. ISBN 978-952-5903-84-3(PDF).
http://julkaisut.tamk.fi/PDF-tiedostot-web/Muut/Taito2016-oppimisen-ydinta-etsimassa.pdf
• Sairaanhoitajalehti / Sairaanhoitajaplus – verkkolehti. 8.8.2016. Toim. Suvi Hurri. Minulla on sama sairaus kuin
sinulla. https://sairaanhoitajat.fi/2016/10621/
• Raitio, K., Kivinen, T. & Hopia, H. 2014. Pelillistämisen mahdollisuudet nuorten mielenterveyskuntoutujien arjessa.
Finnish Journal of eHealth and eWelfare, Vol6(4), 206-208.
• Raitio, K. & Hopia, H. 2015. Pelaten terveeks? – hankkeen loppuraportti. http://www.jamk.fi/globalassets/tutkimus-
ja-kehitys--research-and-development/tki-projektien-lohkot-ja-tiedostot/pelaten-terveeks/pelaten-terveeks-
raportti_lopullinen.pdf
• Raitio, K. & Hopia, H. 2015. Pelillisyys haastaa sosiaali- ja terveysalan ammattilaiset ja opettajat. Teoksessa
Monitoimisuus haastaa koulutuksen – Uudistuvaa pedagogiikkaa ja TKI-toimintaa. Toim. Mutka, U., Laitinen-
Väänänen, S. & Virolainen, M. Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisuja 206. Suomen Yliopistopaino Oy,
Juvenes Print Oy.
https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/98044/JAMKJULKAISUJA2062015_web.pdf?sequence=1
24.10.2016Katja Raitio katja.raitio@jamk.fi
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