Abstract

Treating burned children is a complex and multidisciplinary endeavor that goes beyond physical recovery and wound healing. In the later stages of this process, the patient has to regain their emotional and social tools to cope with the potentially adverse conditions they might face once they become-once again-active members of society. Building upon successful and effective advances in the development of therapeutic video games, in this paper we report the design of a virtual reality (VR) immersive and ludic simulation to increasingly support patients in their social reinsertion while completing their physical rehabilitation programs. This piece of software, which works as a complement to traditional controlled exposure therapy facilitated by a clinical psychologist, aims to bridge the playful, immersive, and flow experiences that are naturally embedded in VR-mediated video games as a way to ease patient adoption and increase the effectiveness of the social reinsertion program. Our preliminary results show that the conceived application was perceived as highly valuable by multidisciplinary specialists working in burn recovery programs, highlighting the rehabilitation and social reinsertion possibilities that a VR-mediated video game can support as well as how it effectively integrates alongside conventional controlled exposure therapy programs.