Using video games to facilitate understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

This paper presents an approach for facilitating understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through the procedural rhetoric of our persuasive video game { em Drawn to Distraction}. Different from realistic simulations, our game is designed to convey a message about the disorder primarily through game mechanics. To test the feasibility of this approach, we conducted a series of studies involving caregivers of ADHD-affected children and the general public. The results, especially in Experiment 3, show promising trends on the feasibility of using persuasive games to promote understanding of psychological disorders.