Co-Design of a Serious Game for the Treatment of Time Perception in Neurobiological Disorders

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59681/2175-4411.v18.2026.1564

Keywords:

Time Perception, Serious Games, Mental Disorders

Abstract

Time perception is frequently compromised in neuropsychiatric disorders, impacting quality of life. This article presents the development of ‘Chronos: Alternative Odysseys’, a hybrid and immersive serious game for the rehabilitation of time perception. Objectives: To describe the co-design process and results, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating technological solutions for health. Methods: Development followed a co-design methodology in two workshops with a multidisciplinary team composed of clinicians and Information Technology professionals. The game integrates cognitive tasks, time perception training, and emotional self-reports, using a Metaverse as a Service architecture to modulate time perception through multimodal stimuli. Results: The co-design indicated broad interdisciplinary acceptance and conceptual validation. Participants highlighted engagement, the therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ADHD, and the innovation of the multimodal approach. Conclusion: Chronos demonstrates technical and methodological viability, establishing itself as a promising multimodal digital environment.

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Author Biographies

Leinylson Fontinele Pereira, UFDPar

PhD candidate in Biotechnology at UFDPar, Master's degree in Computer Science from UECE, and Bachelor's degree from UESPI. CEO of IHealth Brasil, with experience in Information Technology Management. He has worked as a professor in higher education and technical courses. Researcher at NiTLab (UFDPar), focusing on serious games for cognitive and motor rehabilitation in neurological disorders. He works in the areas of temporal perception, virtual reality, ICTs, bio-inspired algorithms, and No-Code/Low-Code development. Currently, he is developing the serious game "Chronos: alternative odysseys," aimed at digital therapy in neuroscience.

Daniel Lima Sousa, UFDPar

He holds a degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Piauí (1999), a master's degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Ceará (2004), and a doctorate in Biotechnology from the Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba (2025), with research focused on the development and evaluation of serious games applied to the rehabilitation of patients with facial paralysis. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar) and Sub-coordinator of the Mathematics Licentiate program at the same institution. During his master's studies, his research focused on Computer Graphics, with an emphasis on geometric modeling through the generation of adaptive meshes. In his doctoral studies, he developed and evaluated a serious game aimed at the rehabilitation of patients with facial paralysis, based on facial mimicry movements. He works mainly on the following topics: computer graphics, computer vision, and the development of serious games applied to health, especially for motor rehabilitation.

José Everton da Silva Fontenele, UFDPar

PhD candidate in Biotechnology at the Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar). Master's degree in Biotechnology from UFDPar (2023). Postgraduate degree in Software Engineering from Faculdade Dexter. Bachelor's degree in Information Systems from UNINASSAU (2019). Computer Technician from CEEP (2012). Works as a researcher and developer in the area of ​​Applied Informatics to Health, integrating the NiTLab (Technological Innovation Center) at UFDPar. Has experience in robotics with Arduino, databases, and systems development. Proficient in programming languages ​​such as Python, PHP, and JavaScript, using frameworks such as Laravel (PHP) and jQuery (JavaScript). Also has knowledge of version control with Git and Git Flow practices.

António Fernando Vasconcelos Cunha Castro Coelho, FEUP

António Fernando Coelho has been a University Professor since 1996 and a researcher at INESC TEC (formerly INESC Porto) since 1995. His entire academic career has been developed at FEUP (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto), always focused on the area of ​​Computer Graphics. He graduated in 1994, completed his master's degree in 1997 with the dissertation "3D Sound Integration in Simulation," and finished his doctorate in 2006 with the thesis "Expedited Modeling of Virtual Urban Environments Based on Interoperability and Geospatial Contextualization." In 2018, he obtained his habilitation, presenting the synthesis lesson "The Challenges of Procedural Modeling of Urban Environments" and the curricular unit "Introduction to Creative Programming." In teaching, he has built a career primarily focused on teaching Computer Graphics, Digital Games, Programming, and coordinating projects in Digital Media. He is also co-author of the books Multimedia, New Media and Digital Media (2021), Introduction to Computer Graphics (2018) and Scheme in the Discovery of Programming (2011). His research focuses on Computer Graphics — especially Procedural Modeling, Virtual and Augmented Reality —, Interactive Digital Media, including Digital Games, Gamification, Procedural Content Generation and Game-Based Learning, as well as Geospatial Systems. He has actively participated in the organization of several scientific events, having been one of the local chairs of the ICGI 2021, EuroVis 2019, Eurographics 2016, SGAMES 2016 conferences and the 13th EPCG, in addition to being part of the organization of the two editions of the Seminar on Video Game Teaching.

Silmar Silva Teixeira, UFDPar

PhD in Mental Health at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ). Post-doctorate (UFRJ). Professor on Physical Therapy degree (UFDPar). Full Professor/Researcher at the Post-graduation Program in Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, Parnaíba Delta Federal University (UFDPar). Founder and Coordinator of the Neuroinnovation Technology Laboratory (NitLab / UFDPar). Nitlab is a multidisciplinary laboratory focused on innovation in health for such, we implement softwares, mobile applications and hardware. We use computational intelligence directed at diagnostic aid systems and serious games for the disease treatments. In our lab, we study time perception; our overarching goal is to better understand how interval time may be used to ADHD, Parkinson and Stroke Treatment. We are currently conducting several studies in our lab.

References

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Published

2026-03-20

How to Cite

Fontinele Pereira, L., Lima Sousa, D., Everton da Silva Fontenele, J., Fernando Vasconcelos Cunha Castro Coelho, A., & Silva Teixeira, S. (2026). Co-Design of a Serious Game for the Treatment of Time Perception in Neurobiological Disorders. Journal of Health Informatics, 18(1), 1564. https://doi.org/10.59681/2175-4411.v18.2026.1564

Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Section

Original Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Leinylson Fontinele Pereira, Daniel Lima Sousa, José Everton da Silva Fontenele, António Fernando Vasconcelos Cunha Castro Coelho, Silmar Silva Teixeira

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