DiaGame: Serious and personalized game for self-management of diabetes

Self-care is now seen as the primary approach to diabetes. However, this is a complex, multifaceted task in which training and education are crucial. However, not a "dry" explanation works for everyone. Gamification has the great advantage that habits can be changed in a fun and attractive way.

In the DiaGame project, a serious game (provisionally called 'SugarVita-P4') is being developed for the self-education of people with diabetes. The habits that SugarVita-P4 aims to change have health effects that are scientifically and clinically substantiated.

This approach to diabetes care is completely new. Our outcomes also support potential serious games for other diseases. But, the main benefit is that the game lets diabetes patients take control of their disease in a friendly and casual way. In a previous project, we developed the Eindhoven Diabetes Education Simulator (e-DES) and paired it with an educational digital game: SugarVita. The players of SugarVita 1.0 experience a day as they would in the real life of someone with diabetes. By living digitally (in the game) with diabetes, they learn to cope well with their disease.

By applying data science methods we will further develop the simulator into a fully personalized version. SugarVita will also be further developed so that it represents reality even better, with an availability of many foods and expansion with various types of physical activity. Emotional stress is also an important factor in diabetes and will be elaborated in the new game. In DiaGame we combine our knowledge and development of diabetes simulation (e-DES), data collection and processing from health apps (GameBus), and designing games for utility (for the patient) (SugarVita 1.0).

By combining these platforms we are able to create a unique personal serious game. The game reflects the real situation, because it is based on models of data collected during daily circumstances.

This individual-generated data (heterogeneous and possibly of low quality) is converted into information through a combination of data processing and AI (artificial intelligence). This information serves as input for personalizing the simulation model that is the "engine" of the game. The personalized models in combination with the individual data make the game adequately represent reality for the player.