Therapeutic games play an increasingly important role in modern healthcare. Games have been used to treat a broad spectrum of individuals, including patients with dementia, stroke, ADHD, cancer, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to name a few. We will survey autism research and evidence-based case studies. This workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of therapeutic game development with a focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mental health applications.

Participants are introduced to scripting and develop a simple mental health game using the popular Unity game engine. They work in teams and are involved in problem-solving discussions to design a game to benefit people with autism. Participants share reflections and discuss how contemporary technologies can inspire novel forms of healthcare.

An introduction to the basics of coding and scripting, designed for participants with no prior programming experience but an enthusiasm to learn about therapeutic games.

Date: September 20 (9am-4pm) and September 21 (9am-1pm), 2019
Location: Discovery Partners Institute, 200 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago

Lectures and tutorials:
Maureen Dunne (University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Disability and Human Development)
Daria Tsoupikova (University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Design, Electronic Visualization Laboratory)

Sponsor:: Discovery Partners Institute (DPI)

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