The Lifestyle Challenge explores how lifestyle change in adolescents with mental health challenges can be supported through a co-designed serious game. Together with healthcare professionals and young people, we developed a concept for a digital lifestyle intervention. The project was carried out as design-led research in collaboration with GGz Centraal.
Maarten likes to think along!
Various studies show that lifestyle interventions (such as improving sleep, eating healthier, and increasing physical activity) can positively impact both physical and mental health. This connection is especially significant for adolescents with psychiatric conditions, who often face additional barriers such as side effects from medication, difficulties with self-regulation, or social isolation. At the same time, this group often struggles more than others to build and sustain healthy routines, particularly when interventions don’t align with their world and needs.
Despite growing awareness within mental healthcare of the role lifestyle plays, there is a lack of accessible, motivating tools that truly activate young people. Information alone isn’t enough: behavioral change requires repetition, autonomy, and a meaningful connection to the user’s own perspective and experience. In this project with GGz Centraal, we used a co-creative design approach to ask a crucial question: how can we translate the perspectives, needs, and obstacles of adolescents into a digital lifestyle intervention that truly works for them?
ApproachThrough multiple co-creation sessions with both healthcare professionals and adolescents, the concept for the game was developed step by step. Early sessions focused on identifying which lifestyle themes were most relevant—and how adolescents prefer to approach them.
A key principle: no one-size-fits-all solution. The game enables adolescents to set personalized goals, track their progress visually, and celebrate small wins. Daily micro-tasks (like a short walk) and weekly challenges (like trying a new sport) are built into the gameplay. To add a social element, players can also share their progress—such as photos of completed challenges—with their group. This adds motivation but also requires thoughtful integration within the therapeutic context.
These sessions showed just how much energy and creativity are released when young people feel heard. Bas Altenburg (game designer at 8D Games): “We go into these sessions looking for unfiltered input. That not only leads to better design but also creates real, equal conversations where vulnerability is no barrier.”
ResultsPrototype developed in close collaboration with adolescents and professionals at GGz Centraal, with a focus on autonomy, engagement, and personalization
Visual and social game concept ,focused on habit formation and peer interaction, ready to support a follow-up funding application
Strong support from healthcare professionals: who see the prototype as a valuable supplement to psychoeducation
Positive feedback from participating adolescents, who felt ownership and engagement throughout the process
The pilot phase of The Lifestyle Challenge has clearly shown that there is a strong need for effective tools to support healthy habits—and that a digital game can make a real difference. GGz Centraal and 8D are committed to further developing the prototype into a practical product for clinical and outpatient use. Securing follow-up funding is the next key step.
‘Het samen ontwerpen van dit spel een belangrijke stap in de goede richting. Het zet jongeren en professionals op een leuke manier aan het denken over wat zij zelf nodig hebben om leefstijlverandering te laten slagen.’
Programmamanager Leefstijl
Why do games for healthcare still regularly end up on the shelf, rather than with the end user? We sat down with a researcher, an innovation manager, a physician and a business expert to answer this question. Download the whitepaper for lots of insights and recommendations!
How can research findings be shared effectively with society? This article explores how participatory design supports effective knowledge transfer by aligning form, content and context. Real-world examples illustrate how design enhances the practical usability of academic insights.
Serious games for healthcare are making their rise. But if you have never used such a game yourself, the whole idea remains somewhat abstract. What added value do games have for healthcare and what concrete examples are there? Get inspired by cases from our portfolio.