Creating Games for Treating Anxiety and Phobia Through Virtual Reality

Virtual reality exposure therapy is used as a therapeutic approach to effectively treat phobias. Research suggests that in phobias, the amount of fear experienced does not necessarily correspond to the potential amount of danger posed by the stimulus. In traditional therapeutic methods, patients may be unable to experience the stimulus as the treatment lacks the projection of the stimulus. However, with exposure-based treatment, a virtual environment is created to enable patients to undergo treatment. Patients are examined and categorized based on the degree of fear experienced, and a virtual environment is modelled accordingly for each category. An examination is conducted through mediated pathways, which suggests a reduction in the severity of phobia symptoms during treatment. Significant changes in behaviour are recorded for iterative refinements. The project focuses on the development of a Virtual Reality-based Serious Game platform for overcoming phobias.