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Therapeutic digital games aim to support rehabilitation treatments and help patients understand, motivate and persist in therapeutic practices. Although there are several therapeutic digital games available, their development highly depends on the involvement of computer science professionals. This paper’s contribution is about how RUFUS was designed as a platform to provide EUP (End-User Programming) for healthcare professionals. This platform enables these professionals to author digital games aiming at performing therapeutic activities with their patients and/or caregivers. The platform has a web interface for game authoring, currently composed of three different game mechanics, as well as the possibility of viewing interaction reports. It also encompasses a mobile app that displays the games created for patients. Participatory design techniques were used during the design and evaluation of the three games to engage different stakeholders and also empower healthcare providers. A preliminary evaluation of the RUFUS point to an easy-to-use design solution, but which still needs further testing to ensure intuitiveness for users who have no experience with games or with authoring interfaces.

With the use of sensors to monitor the physical processes that correlateto particular behaviors and sensations, technological advancementsand resources supplied by neuroscience began to provide thecapacity to interact with the study of the brain directly. This allowsus to experiment with as many sensory channels as feasible whilestill applying computational solutions. Brain-Computer Interfaces(BCI) can infer information about a user’s state and intentions byobserving his/her physiology, behavior in the work environment,and authority relationship. Using this data, it is possible to determinethe efficacy of the computer tools used to respond to theemotions evoked by the user when interacting with the solutionand adjust the tool’s goals. In this work, to analyze these interactions,we adopted a hybrid approach using user responses via thedigital SAM questionnaire and data collected using electrocardiogramand electroencephalogram sensors to check for any changesin the participants’ mood during their interaction with an End-UserDevelopment interface for authoring of serious games. The resultsof this round of evaluation were positive, demonstrating not onlythe good use of the tools but also motivating us to continue developingimprovements and conducting new tests on the prototypecreated to collect the physiological data.

Jogos digitais têm cada vez mais feito parte do cotidiano das pessoas. Os jogos terapêuticos, por sua vez, são uma subcategoria de jogos digitais sérios, que visam apoiar os tratamentos de reabilitação e ajudar os pacientes a entender, motivar e persistir nas práticas terapêuticas. Este artigo descreve o RUFUS, uma plataforma para autoria de jogos digitais, configurada por profissionais de Saúde, para realizar atividades terapêuticas com seus pacientes e cuidadores. A plataforma possui uma interface Web para autoria de jogos e é composta por quatro diferentes mecânicas de jogo, bem como permite a visualização de relatórios de interação. Um aplicativo móvel compõe a infraestrutura e exibe os jogos criados para os pacientes e cuidadores. Técnicas de Design Participativo foram usadas durante o design e desenvolvimento da solução para engajar diferentes partes interessadas. Estudos realizados tem apontado interesse de profissionais de Saúde e também da Educação no uso da solução para atividades terapêuticas complementares e também atividades pedagógicas.

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