Hall of Heroes: A Digital Game for Social Skills Training with Young Adolescents

Table 1

Overview of Hall of Heroes six social emotional tutoring scenes with skill areas and learning objectives.

Scene	Overview	Skill Areas	Learning Objectives
The Replica	Players work with two other students to put together a time machine replica during science class.	Social Initiation; Cooperation; Impulse Control	Identify the correct group to initiate with and do so appropriately; Cooperate effectively, including negotiating about how to divide work; Utilize available resources and organizational skills to effectively manage the assigned task
PowerFlip	Players spend their free period attempting to join in with two different pairs of students playing a card game.	Social Initiation; Emotion Regulation	Determine where to stand when joining in; Identify the appropriate person to talk to without interrupting; Identify their own emotions after being rejected; Choose which group to re-join post rejection
Hero Simulation	Players work with a group of fellow graders to produce a hero training video.	Cooperation; Communication	Negotiate and compromise with another student to determine project roles; Coach other students in expressive nonverbal and verbal communication, focusing on tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language
Fire and Ice	Players hone key interpersonal skills during their Hero-Civilians Relations class by playing three mini-games in a virtual reality simulator.	Impulse Control; Empathy; Emotion Regulation	Demonstrate impulse control in a response inhibition simulation; Appropriately label dialog options based on their anticipated impact on another student; Navigate 3 “choose your own adventure” style activities which require stopping and thinking in highly emotional situations
The Escape	Students have just witnessed the evil villain Dr. Klepto steal the teachers’ superpowers. Players must manage the fallout and rally other students to save the school.	Emotion Regulation; Communication; Empathy	Regulate their own emotions with an activity (e.g., deep breathing and positive self-talk); Use receptive communication skills to determine the emotional states of other students; Help those students to regulate their emotions using appropriate activities
Surveillance	Players watch security footage to figure out what is going on at Hall of Heroes, and then work with other students to clarify details and form a theory and timeline of what happened.	Empathy; Impulse Control	Observe and interpret other characters’ emotions in context; Balance attention to detail and time constraints in a high-stakes situation; Distinguish facts from assumptions
The Mission	Players and other students work together to formulate a plan to travel back in time to stop Dr. Klepto and save the school.	Impulse Control; Cooperation; Communication	Work with other students to make and implement an action plan, which includes identifying the best team members for each step; Cooperate with difficult others, using I statements and reflective listening to diffuse conflict