Developing and Testing ScrollQuest

Depression affects a large proportion of adolescents and current interventions only have moderate effects. With the potential of video games for emotional and mental health in mind, we developed a video game for rejection sensitivity, which is a major risk factor for depression. A process of intensive collaboration between game designers and mental health experts led to the video game ScrollQuest, that combines three evidence-based psychological treatment techniques while maximizing engagement. The results of a pilot study with nine father -- son dyads showed that we were partially successful in translating the treatment techniques to engaging game mechanics. We discuss limitations of the study and focus on future directions. The development process and the final prototype of ScrollQuest illustrate the exciting future for games for emotional and mental health.