Feasibility and Acceptance of Decision-Based Games for the Assessment of Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Traditional mental health assessments for anxiety and depression often face limitations due to their overtly clinical nature and susceptibility to self-report and social desirability biases. To overcome these barriers, this preliminary study explores the feasibility and user acceptance of decision-based games as immersive, early-screening tools specifically targeting university students. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the research integrated a multimedia production methodology with semi-structured interviews and user acceptance testing (UAT) involving clinical psychologists, academic experts, and student volunteers. The findings indicate that decision-based games can successfully and practically integrate standard psychometric tools, such as the GAD-7 and PHQ-9, yielding high user acceptance. However, experts stressed that to maintain psychological safety and clinical validity, these games must be strictly classified as preliminary screening tools rather than diagnostic instruments, and they must retain the exact original wording of the assessments. Furthermore, targeted design mechanics, including culturally resonant scenarios, minimalist anxiety-sensitive visuals, and brief 5- to 10-minute gameplay sessions, significantly enhance user engagement. Ultimately, well-designed decision-based games offer a viable, engaging, and less stigmatizing alternative to traditional questionnaires for routine mental health screening.