'Back to Reality' Series Psychoeducational Video Games For Increasing Knowledge of Psychosis Associated with Marijuana Use – A Student Project
Abstract
Cannabis use in youth is associated with a significant increase in mental health disorders, including psychosis, and there is a significantly greater risk for those who use cannabis at an early age. Video game technology shows promise of making youth aware of a variety of mental health disorders, including psychosis and depression. The ‘Back to Reality’ series is an original knowledge translation product – a video game designed to educate youth about psychosis, marijuana use, and pathways to care.
The purpose of this study is to assess the ‘Back to Reality’ Series as a psychoeducational tool to educate undergraduate students about the association between cannabis use and psychosis, by comparing it with the control game, Morpheus’ Spell. Twenty McMaster University students aged 17-22 played the ‘Back to Reality’ series and the control game in a randomized order. After playing each game, the participants completed two multiple choice quizzes with questions related to cannabis use and psychosis, as well as a survey that asked for their opinions about gameplay satisfaction.
Participants who played Morpheus Spell first improved significantly after playing the ‘Back to Reality’ Series on quiz 1 (5.44 ± 1.51 vs. 6.78 ± 1.48, p = 0.03) and quiz 2 (6.67 ± 1.41 vs. 8.22 ± 1.30, p = 0.005). However, this was not observed in participants who played the ‘Back to Reality’ Series first for quiz 1 (6.27 ± 1.19 vs. 6.09 ± 1.14, p = 0.17) or quiz 2 (7.55 ± 1.04 vs. 7.82 ± 0.40, p = 0.28). Significantly more participants enjoyed the story of the ‘Back to Reality’ Series compared to Morpheus Spell (20 vs. 10, p = 0.0003).
The ‘Back to Reality’ Series appears to be effective in educating university students about the association between cannabis use and psychosis. Participants also enjoyed playing the ‘Back to Reality’ Series as much as Morpheus Spell, and even more for some game aspects.
