TRUST GAME

TRUST GAME is a collaborative project that playfully explores how children build trust with adults. In a digital game, children are invited to make choices in situations where a digital avatar offers advice or tasks. This character may behave in a friendly and honest way, or be misleading or unreliable. By tracking children’s behaviour over multiple sessions, the project reveals how trust is established, shifts, or breaks down.

The game is developed through co-creation with game designers, researchers, and children themselves. Central research questions include:

• How do children respond to avatars that initially help them but later mislead them?
• In which situations do children continue to trust — and when do they stop?
• What role do honesty, intention, and tone play in shaping trust?

TRUST GAME results in a game that is both engaging to play and functions as a research tool. The game captures structured behavioural data without putting pressure on real-world relationships or ethical boundaries.

The insights are directly relevant to the design of serious games addressing trust, empathy, and social safety. The project also demonstrates how game environments can be used as responsible, research-driven tools — particularly for engaging children in psychological or behavioural research.

TRUST GAME contributes to the Power of Design agenda by connecting creative technology with social science, and by sharing its methods and findings across disciplines, including education and healthcare.

€55,661 will be used as a PPP program grant.