Entwicklung eines narrativen Serious Games
Sex education is of great importance for the well-being of adolescents and young adults. herzfroh 2.0 provides educational materials for people in this age group with cognitive impairments. In addition, a pedagogical guide for professionals in education and care is being developed.
Until 2011, the Disability & Sexuality specialist center published a total of 17 educational booklets on love, relationships, and sexuality under the title “Herzfroh.” These were aimed at adults with cognitive impairments and multipliers (teachers, caregivers, etc.). These booklets are now being updated and modernized as part of herzfroh 2.0 to address adolescents and young adults with moderate cognitive impairments. All information is also made available on a dedicated website. Accessibility on the website is ensured through features such as text-to-speech functions. The target group should be able to view the materials independently or with assistance of their choice.
The materials are now complemented by a game that was developed in close collaboration with the target group and experts and successfully tested.
The developed game is a narrative serious game. “Narrative” refers to the story that underlies the game. Players make decisions from Alex’s perspective that determine the course of the game. The players decide which gender Alex and Lou have in the game. Alex and Lou can be male, female, or non-binary.
The game covers topics from the herzfroh 2.0 booklets, including consent in approaches, the differences between friendship and love, and respecting boundaries.
The game was designed and developed in close collaboration with subject-matter experts and tested by adolescents from the target group. Initial feedback was positive and is being incorporated into the final revision of the game.
The game was released as part of the herzfroh 2.0 materials.
Project Data
| Project Type | Research |
| Duration | 01.10.2018 – 31.12.2024 |
| Project Partner | Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) Stiftung Brändi |
| Funding | Öffentliche Hand ITC Digitale Transformation der Arbeitswelt |
| Project Team | Ariana Huwiler, Daniel Kunz |