Through Troubled Waters: A Narrative Game for Anger Regulation

Through Troubled Waters serves as a specialized narrative-based serious game engineered to enhance emotional intelligence by teaching users to recognize, label, and experiment with four distinct anger-regulation strategies. By integrating interactive dialogue with a card-collection mechanic, the game provides a structured environment for players to explore their emotional responses. The primary thesis posits that narrative-driven gameplay offers a viable, effective medium for mental health interventions, specifically by facilitating self-reflection and encouraging the adoption of healthier coping mechanisms in real-world scenarios.

A pilot study involving 18 participants confirms the efficacy of this approach, yielding a statistically significant reduction in maladaptive anger-out coping styles. Qualitative feedback indicates that the game successfully enables users to categorize their emotional experiences, with more than half of the participants expressing a clear intent to modify their personal anger management techniques following the experience. Participants demonstrated a high degree of retention, showing a strong ability to recall and articulate the specific strategies introduced during gameplay.

While the current iteration proves successful as an educational tool, further development could enhance its impact. Increasing character customization and expanding player agency regarding narrative choices would likely deepen immersion and improve the relatability of the content. Ultimately, the findings suggest that narrative games represent a promising frontier for emotional regulation training. Future research should continue to explore how these digital interventions can be scaled and adapted to address broader aspects of emotional health, moving beyond anger management into more comprehensive psychological support frameworks.