Modelagem de um jogo sério para promover a empatia em crianças

Abstract

Given the importance of developing socio-emotional skills in early childhood and the lack of play-based tools focused on children aged 5 to 7, this work aimed to develop a serious game to assess and promote empathy. The rationale is based on the analysis of similar games, which often address older age groups or contexts far removed from children's reality, such as geopolitics. For the game's construction, the Maieutic Method was chosen, inspired by the Socratic method, which aims to stimulate critical thinking and self-reflection through questioning. This methodology structured the project into four main stages: Conceptual Design, Communication Design, Structural Design, and Development Design. As a result, a prototype was created that uses everyday scenarios (such as the classroom and the playground) and a guide character, in which the initial phases focus on direct interactive actions to awaken empathy, such as returning a toy, while the later phases introduce the Socratic method with multiple-choice questions about problem situations, such as helping a classmate without a pencil. The game uses a reward system, in which the player "earns friends" by getting the answer right. It is concluded that the developed game presents a proactive and reflective approach to the cognitive and affective assessment of empathy, contributing to the formation of more cooperative citizens. Furthermore, stimulating empathy from an early age serves as a strategy to prevent future problems such as bullying and improve cooperation and social interaction. This summary of the final course project was based on the article entitled "A serious game for socio-emotional assessment aimed at children," published in SBGames - XXIV Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment.