The use of serious gaming as a management intervention to prevent work-related stress and raise work-engagement among workers

Introduction
The use and scope of serious games have increased and broadened in the past ten years from games for military training, to games for education, healthcare, professional training etc. This study is part of a large project which comprises the development, implementation and evaluation of an evidence-based serious game to raise managers’ awareness on their role in stimulating work engagement of their employees and managing work-related stress. The game is meant to help managers experience in a safe, controlled and fun environment what it means to stimulate work engagement and manage work-related stress and to help them effectively implement practical solutions in practice.

Methods
A projectteam consisting of game developers and scientific researchers in the field of occupational health, psychology and pedagogy are developing the serious game based on a simulation of scientific models on work-related stress and work-engagement. The effect and processevaluation will make use of a three wave longitudinal case-control study. Managers from the intervention and the controlgroup and their employees will receive questionnaires before, shortly after and some time after the intervention. Learningeffects of the game will be investigated by comparing intervention- and controlgroup managers. Effectiveness of the game as work-related stress and engagement intervention is measured by comparing intervention- and controlgroup employees.

Results
At the conference we will be able to present a preview of the game, the underlying scientific model, the study design of the effect and processevaluation and findings from the first measurement.

Discussion
Positive effects of serious games have been proven in the past in other fields. Although serious games seem particularly suited to serve as a training tool in the field of occupational health, at the moment little is known about the effects of serious gaming and its’ learning mechanisms in this field. The aim of this research project is to fill this gab.