Sentido do Ser: jogo das competências socioemocionais para universitários

Abstract

In a life rationalizing-driven society, which values the severability between rational processes and social phenomena, different imbalances arise, including the emotional and relational ones. Nonetheless, psychological illness, especially anxiety and depression disorders, associated with the covid-19 pandemic, are increasing. Young university students have to deal with both the pandemic scenario and the normal challenges of the academic context. Accordingly, a movement arises, at different levels of education, with the proposal to perceive, respect and encourage human integrality, based on biopsychosocial-emotional aspects. The focus question that guided this work arose from the concern that this movement causes: “How to favor for university students, in a playful way, the contact, thinking and discussion about socio-emotional skills that can contribute to their ability to deal with common challenges in academic life?” Therefore, the goal of this work is to develop a board game that allows the contact, thinking and discussion about socio-emotional skills that can contribute to the ability of university students to deal with common challenges in academic life. To achieve this goal, we carried out a research to support the understanding of socio-emotional skills, their relationship with academic performance, and game design. We investigated products and initiatives that inspired the development of the game elements. In the product elaboration phase, we structured the mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics of the game based on the Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics (MDA) framework. During this process, we entitled the game as “Sense of Being: socio-emotional skills game for university students”. Sequentially, the prototype of the game was submitted to the first step of testing, carried out with seven undergraduate students from a private higher education institution in the city of Belém, Brazil. Subsequently, a panel of specialists formed by three Psychology professionals, working as undergraduate professors at public higher education institution, analyzed the content of the cards that make up the game. Then, four Psychology professionals, working in the specialized student support service of a private higher education institution in the city of Belém, Brazil, analyzed a set of cards of the game and the other elements that compose it. In each step, we collected the given feedbacks, which oriented the adjustments to the game elements. As a final step, the files containing the final version of the components were presented and made available in a way that allows easy access to the contents. The impressions highlighted by students and specialists who contributed to the research indicate that the product arouses interest and it’s innovative, especially for dealing with socio-emotional skills in a playful way and also for presenting characteristics of germinability.