Horizon: Resilience – Design of a Serious Game for Ecological Momentary Intervention for Depression

Depression is the world’s most prevalent mental disorder and the primary source of disability adjusted life years (DALY). While traditional face-to-face therapies have been shown to be effective, alternative delivery methods, e.g. internet-based therapies, have been investigated to overcome barriers to access, such as lack of availability of therapists and infrastructure. This article presents the design of a mobile serious game as a novel psychological momentary ecological intervention for depressive symptoms. We discuss how selected principles and techniques of common psychological frameworks used to tackle depression, namely Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (including Behavioral Activation) …