In the first reporting period, the main focus of the consortium was the development of Lina—the first ASP centred on the mysterious disappearance of a school girl. Designed for classroom use with students aged 11–14 and their teacher, the experience blends cooperative gaming with immersive theatre. The story follows Lina, a fictional classmate who has suddenly vanished. To uncover what happened to her—and why—players must work together to solve puzzles, follow clues, and piece together the narrative.
Each player participates using a smartphone or tablet. Through augmented reality, Lina’s belongings appear superimposed in the physical classroom space, drawing the students into a story that unfolds in real-time. A cinematic soundtrack, drama style narration, and opportunities for spontaneous role-play transform the ordinary classroom into a compelling immersive environment. Structured into six sessions, four of them digitally-supported, that fit within standard lesson times, Lina is accessible, deeply engaging, and educational.
By the end of the reporting period, the game had reached Alpha stage. The coming months will see its finalisation and preparation for a robust clinical trial.
Development was driven by co-creation with young people to ensure the story, design, and gameplay reflect their interests and perspectives. The Unicorn Theatre London led this process, establishing a co-development group of 12–13-year-olds, who met over twenty Saturdays and one three-day intensive workshop to help build the world of Lina. These sessions encouraged the participants to develop as thinkers, designers, and storytellers, exploring and shaping the experience.
To reflect the cultural diversity of the participating countries, three international youth exchanges were organised in 2024. These brought together 28 young people aged 12–14 from Czechia, Portugal, and the UK who met first in London (UK), then Brno (CZ), and finally in Torres Vedras (PT). Each of these workshop series focused on the design challenges relevant to the phase of the project in which it took place–from general game-related experiences to playtesting the first versions of Lina.
In parallel to developing Lina, we have worked with experts in 5 EU countries to review and understand policy that is relevant to Lina being taken up by secondary schools. We have used this understanding to plan how we will implement Lina in our scientific evaluation and how we will support its future ongoing implementation.
Also in parallel to the work around Lina, we have been working to establish development avenues for further ASP, which will specifically address particularly vulnerable young people. We have engaged with cross-sector experts across Europe, and with vulnerable young people themselves, to develop our understanding of vulnerability and its impact on belonging and mental health. This work lays the ground for our close collaboration with specific group(s) of vulnerable young people and associated stakeholders in further ASP development. Simultaneously, work on interface and interaction design, as well as on digital tools aiming to strengthen the social dynamic in classrooms, has been carried out to further enrich upcoming ASPs.
