Views of Young People in Rural Australia on SPARX, a Fantasy World Developed for New Zealand Youth With Depression.
Colleen CheekHeather BridgmanTheresa FlemingElizabeth CummingsLeonie EllisMathijs Fg LucassenMatthew ShepherdTimothy SkinnerPublished in: JMIR serious games (2014)
The findings suggest that computerized therapy offered in ways that support privacy and choice can improve access to treatment for rural youth. Foreign accents and style may not be off-putting to teenage users when the program uses a playful fantasy genre, as it is consistent with their expectation of fantasy worlds, and it is in a medium with which they already have a level of competence. Rather, issues of engaging design and confidential access appeared to be more important. These findings suggest a proven tool once formally assessed at a local level can be adopted cross-nationally.