A Serious Game on the First-Aid Procedure in Choking Scenarios: Design and Evaluation Study

Area of Science:

• Health Education
• Injury Prevention
• Serious Games Design

Background:

• Choking is a leading cause of unintentional injury deaths.
• Effective first-aid knowledge significantly increases survival rates for choking victims.
• Serious games offer an engaging platform for educating individuals on choking response protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and assess the efficacy of a serious game developed for choking prevention.
• To evaluate the game's effectiveness in promoting essential first-aid procedures for choking incidents.

Main Methods:

• A serious game was developed, incorporating minigames that mirror critical first-aid steps for choking.
• The game places players in a helper role, requiring them to apply protocol steps within time and score constraints.
• A pilot study with 48 high school students assessed game preferences and choking knowledge before and after gameplay, using statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney U, Fisher exact test).

Main Results:

• Players reported enjoyment of the serious game.
• No significant differences in outcomes were observed based on player gender, gaming preferences, or prior choking emergency experience.
• A notable improvement in all knowledge indicators regarding choking emergency response was observed post-gameplay.

Conclusions:

• The developed serious game serves as a valuable tool for educating non-experts in first-aid procedures for choking emergencies.
• Serious games are a viable and effective strategy for disseminating critical life-saving information.