Play2FightAnxiety

After two years of work, the PLAY project is coming to an end. During this period, we built a strong relationship with most of you, receiving your deep interest on PLAY and its activities.

PLAY is a two-year project, funded by European Union. During its lifetime, five partners developed, tested and evaluated results for ten concrete scenarios that aim to help students dealing with anxiety.

Game Scenarios

Entering the PLAY 3D Virtual World (3DVW) students can either play a game scenario or have anonymous counseling. There are 10 scenarios available (scenario 0 – scenario 9).

• Scenario 0 is the tutorial of the PLAY Virtual World.
• Scenario 1 simulates the experience of undertaking an exam.
• Scenario 2 deals with a bad exam result.
• Scenario 3 includes issues related to mature and distance learning students’ stress.
• Scenario 4 deals with a difficult assignment.
• Scenario 5 deals with a group assignment.
• Scenario 6 deals with socialising.
• Scenario 7 provides an opportunity to discuss adaptation to university life issues.
• Scenario 8 concerns a situation in which students have to talk to lecturers and seek support.
• Scenario 9 provides an opportunity to discuss issues related to life after university.

PLAY Promotional Video

Watch the PLAY promotional video:

The PLAY project aims to help university students gain skills and strategies for overcoming anxiety. Players can choose from a collection of 10 scenarios, each focusing on a different aspect of a student’s anxiety during university life. 

A total of 4 pilot days are planned in the coming months in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, and Ireland in which students will have the opportunity to create their own avatar and play game scenarios.

In the PLAY 3DVW, the players encounter numerous NPCs (Non-player characters). They are usually either students or coaches. The story of the game revolves around a campus where students have been “infected” with a strange “illness”. Symptoms are sweating, trembling, heart palpitations, heavy breathing, inability to concentrate and think clearly. Players have a “mission”, to find and help students who are “infected”. The “infected” are creating negative energy and disrupting campus life. The game starts with a “tutorial” scenario (scenario 0) so that players learn how to move and interact with 3DVW. The scenarios of the game are now ready, as well as the beta version of the project and the pilot use of 3DVW has already started.

Six months in the project significant progress has been made. The development of the three-dimensional virtual environment is already operational and under functional testing. The screenshots here show the current state of development; a video demonstrates some of the interactive affordances:

The first project meeting for the European project PLAY, led by the University of Patras, took place in Patras, Greece.