Gambling Disorder (GD), recognized as a behavioral addiction with neurobiological parallels to substance use disorders, inflicts severe psychological harms alongside financial losses. Traditional interventions often prioritize economic consequences, overlooking psychological trauma, and exhibit low long-term efficacy. This research addresses this gap by developing Trick of Loki, an innovative serious board game integrated with Augmented Reality (AR) technology. The game simulates GD’s dual destruction of wealth and mental health through Texas Hold’em mechanics, augmented by a “soul point” system and special cards that gamify stress-induced risk-taking and cheating behaviors.
Utilizing the Cognitive Behavioral Game Design (CBGD) framework and iPlus methodology, the game was designed and evaluated through multi-round play-tests with 31 target users. Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) scale data revealed high immersion and effective conveyance of GD’s psychological harms. Key findings confirmed that AR-enhanced tutorials reduced learning thresholds, while soul points and special cards successfully mirrored GD’s cyclical stress-reward dynamics. However, rule complexity and card balance were identified for optimization.
The study demonstrates that integrating AR with serious games offers a potent tool for”randomness cognitive correction,” emphasizing psychological harm over financial loss—a critical shift in GD intervention. Trick of Loki provides a validated, immersive platform for mental health education, highlighting pathways for future refinement in prevention and therapy strategies.