Serious Games as Emerging E-Health Interventions: Design of an Exergame for the SMILER Project

This paper outlines the design and implementation of an exergame developed under the strategic Italian CNR project SMILER (Serious gaMes in chILdren with nEurological or Respiratory disorders). The project aims at investigating how Serious Games (SG) can enhance the health conditions of young people with chronic diseases, specifically targeting two categories: individuals with Down Syndrome and those with Asthma. The SG employs a narrative strategy within an immersive, interactive setup. The child’s movements are captured and translated into actions performed by an in-game avatar, who is central to the story. Additionally, a wristband continuously monitors the child’s physiological data, ensuring they remain within the aerobic zone. In this document, the game’s architectural modules and design decisions are described, along with introducing the experimental plan to explore the game’s impact on transcriptome profiling (CTRA) gene patterns and neuropsychological outcomes through an upcoming pilot study.