How we created «EmotiQuest» to tackle university stress
One of the greatest challenges of interdisciplinarity is taking it from concept to reality. As professors of nursing, medicine and education, we not only knew this — we lived it every day. Driven by this challenge, we decided to take action and created a project within the framework of BeGlobal, an initiative co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, which promotes internationalisation and global citizenship in higher education.
The origin: A shared need
It all started from a common observation: our students, regardless of their field of study, were constantly struggling with academic stress and anxiety. Faced with this, we asked ourselves a question: Could we bring our different disciplines together to create a comprehensive solution? The answer was «EmotiQuest», an open-access serious game designed to teach young university students key emotional management tools for their daily lives.
Co-creation and the international leap
Although the original idea was ours, the students’ voice was essential. We met with them in four co-creation sessions to shape the levels, the mechanics and the very soul of the game.
However, we soon encountered a barrier: our technical knowledge of gamification was limited. Far from stopping us, this became the perfect opportunity to partner with experts from Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France.
During an intensive week of training in serious games, we presented our prototype, received expert feedback and refined the project to adapt it to the best technological tools available.
The greatest lesson from this journey
Collaborative work and mutual learning not only overcome technical barriers, but also take results far beyond what was expected. This transformative experience proved that when health, education and technology come together, the impact is real.
By: Lina Rocio Corredor Parra y Aura Cristina Leon Castro.
