I’m always looking for the latest and greatest in health games, especially one with great characters and a thought out interface.  Look no further than MyFriendQuest which is available for download at the end of this month.

Helping children recognize emotions with games.

MyFriendQuest is an interactive animated computer game created to teach children to recognize emotions and respond to them appropriately.  This is important, as difficulty with these skills often stands in the way of children reaching their capacity to communicate and develop empathy. Although initially created specifically for children with autism, MyFriendQuest has also achieved great results in testing with children with ADD, ADHD, dyspraxia, learning difficulties, social anxiety and severe shyness.

The interview.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Fraser Hurrell, CEO and Co-Founder of BrightMind LABS who created the game with the leadership of Clinical Psychologist Dr. Yvette Ahmad.

HG: I have often heard that video games are a great way to teach Autistic children.  What was the inspiration behind MyFriendQuest?

FH: The inspiration for MyFriendQuest – and the future games which we are planning under the BrightMind LABS banner – came from the fact that in no country is the need for child mental health services fully met. It seems unlikely that the planet will ever produce – or fund – enough mental health professionals to provide one-on-one therapy for all children who need it.  Gaming is a means of providing more  widespread delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy to those who need it, but are unable to access one-on-one therapy.

HG: Your site says “clinically designed.” Was an effectiveness study done? If so, can you share any results?

FH: A large amount of clinical testing has been done in trials working with kids on the autistic spectrum during development of MyFriendQuest.  However a proper clinical effectiveness study has only just been started – and we anticipate results before Christmas. We’ll post these on the web site once available.

HG: What kind of results should people who purchase this game expect to see in the player?  For example, are better social interactions an expectation or simply better skills at identifying facial expressions?

FH: Skills at identifying facial expressions are a prerequisite for better social interactions.  The expected outcome is for the child to increase their ability to interact socially, reduce anxiety and build
self-esteem.

HG: Describe the “package” that people who purchase your game will receive.

FH: The package will be a downloadable Flash file which has been designed to run on either a PC or a MAC – although only the PC version will be released initially.  To accompany the download will be a detailed user guide which is downloadable in .pdf format free of charge.

HG: What was your funding mechanism for production?

FH: The production has been funded so far by private investment.  Once we have proven the delivery model with the first game, we will be looking for further investment to develop future games.

HG: Was art and programming done in-house?

FH: We developed the clinical aspects of MyFriendQuest in-house, and also the storyboarding and scripting.  Once we had a good idea of what we wanted, we brought Flux Animation Studios in Auckland into the mix –and they took care of the Flash animations.  Local company Guerrilla managed the programming.

HG: Who is your target market? Should we expect to see this inphysicians’ offices or is it an at-home purchase for parents and their children?

FH: Initially the target market is direct to parents of children on the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum.  However, we have had a lot of interest from institutions to bulk purchase as a therapeutic intervention they can provide to parents while on the waiting list for one-on-one therapy.  When we release, the game will  initially be marketed just to parents through one-off sales, but we  will work quickly on developing a mechanism for making bulk sales to health institutions.

HG: You mention future games on the horizon.  Will they all be related to autism and childhood mental health?

FH: Future games will be targeted to mental health conditions for children up to 12 years of age.  We do have more ideas for kids on the autistic spectrum – and also some great ideas in the pipeline for other conditions.

About BrightMind LABS.

Winner of the 2009 Global Social Impact Assessment competition at Berkeley, BrightMind LABS exists to improve the lives of children with mental health issues. Their goal is to deliver Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by computer (CCBT) to children using an immersive gaming wrapper. They have coined the term psytainment to define this exciting new space. Their first release, MyFriendQuest, is now available for download at the low price of $39.95 USD.