Settings goals in psychology serious game for preschool children

The term serious game is generally used for an application that is developed using a computer game technology and game design principles but is used for non-entertainment purposes. We can say that these applications are entertaining games with non-entertainment goals. The idea is that games could be used for more serious purposes such as education, simulating real world phenomenon and relations in the world, increasing life quality through health, rehabilitation and therapy applications or raising interest in the problems in our global world. This paper focuses on psychology serious games. Generally, in psychology games users are represented by their avatar and can interact with the world and other game characters. Like in storytelling or bibliotherapy, the story itself has a therapeutic component so much as it evokes identification, empathy, resistance, opposition and disclosure of many confusing emotions. This goal oriented gaming can be used in goal oriented therapy methods. The game is played according to a scenario where the user can observe and react to different situations. This acts as a powerful tool for helping users understand and reflect on their own behavior and gives them the opportunity to learn from this virtual experience. The next stage is testing the user's new abilities with new situations by applying different games goals. The innovative use of computer in the form of psychotherapeutic games may enhance patient cooperation. This can also help to attract and sustain the interest especially in children. This paper describes the main features of serious games used in psychology based on the prototype of the game Mission - Master Your Fear. This is a serious game based on a specialist scenario founded on bibliotherapy with some therapeutic goals. It deals with issues and problems of preschool children. The result is an interesting and absorbing game for children which may help them solve some problems.