A Serious Game Intervention for Increasing Motivation of Children with Cancer to Fight Cancer

Treatment adherence is critical for children with cancer. However, treatment non-adherence is common due to the high side-effect burdens of treatment and a lack of knowledge about one's illness and treatment. Therefore, an intervention for childhood cancer patients is required to help motivate them to adhere to treatment, encourage daily self-care to reduce treatment side effects, and educate them about cancer and treatment. This study demonstrates the design and development of a virtual pet serious game intervention based on the Protection Motivation Theory. The evaluation results of the intervention with childhood cancer patients in Malaysia are also presented.