“We need healthy, creative and resilient children who know how to maintain wellbeing and can manage stress, judge risks and embrace failure as part of the learning process. It’s essential that we find ways of engaging young people with their technologies in order to do this.”
Charlotte Berry, Assistant Head Teacher, The Billericay School
The Problem
By developing emotional management skills, young people can learn to focus and perform better and protect themselves against more serious mental health problems. However traditional training activities, like meditation and yoga, are often seen as boring or irrelevant by this audience.
“When I’m in an argument I don’t feel right, I sometimes feel like I’m in a different planet, on a different world. When I did breathing I’d learnt in the game, I calmed down, came back to earth“
Student, 15
The Solution
A videogame that trains young people in diaphragmatic breathing which helps them to regulate their emotions and learn how to self-manage stress, anxiety, panic, depression and pain. Champion of the Shengha was developed by our mental health-tech spin off BfB Labs.
“Games tap into the most fundamental ways we learn and feel. They are an incredible way of reaching out to young people regardless of nationality and background – and, in as urgent and universal a field as mental health, this promises to equip countless players with a proven tool for transforming their own health and resilience.”
Tom Chatfield, author and technology theorist
So far…
- 5 trials in schools including an RCT
- 84% of players able to reliably raise their HRV during focused breathing time, using techniques taught to reduce physiological signs of stress
- 3 in 4 players reported getting better at staying focused within the game
- 1 in 4 players reported applying these focusing techniques outside of the game by trial end
Research

BfB Labs Trial Summary
September 26, 2016
An evaluation report describing the results of the five trials of Shift’s emotionally responsive biofeedback video game, conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the game in training emotional regulation skills through regulated diaphragmatic breathing, as well as measure levels of enjoyment and stickiness.

Building Resilience through Emotionally Responsive Gaming: Findings from a biofeedback video game RCT
September 21, 2016
An evaluation report describing the results of a randomised control trial run with 290 young people in The Billericay School, Essex.

Building Resilience through Emotionally Responsive Gaming: Findings from a biofeedback video game trial at St Angela’s Ursuline School
September 20, 2016
An evaluation report describing a trial with 30 girls at St Angela’s Ursuline secondary School, Newham, East London.

Playing with emotions
December 1, 2015
An evaluation report describing the results of a test of BfB’s biofeedback video game with two primary schools in Hackney, London.

Harnessing the power of games to improve wellbeing
March 18, 2015
An evaluation report describing the results of the first test of Shift’s biofeedback video game, which uses the player’s heart rate to reward players for staying calm under pressure.
Kathleen Collett and Naomi Stoll

Video games and wellbeing
March 1, 2014
Exploring the role and impact of video games in young people’s lives, and how video games and biofeedback can be combined in wellbeing interventions.
Kathleen Collett and Naomi Stoll

Promoting wellbeing: A practical way to improve public mental health
February 2, 2014
Outlining the scale and impact of mental health, who is most at risk, and the argument for focusing on wellbeing
Kathleen Collett

Survey of products and services which promote wellbeing
February 1, 2014
Evidence for interventions to improve wellbeing (mindfulness, gratitudes, awe and optimism) and examples of products and services which facilitate these.
Kathleen Collett and Tayo Medupin
Comment
Not broccoli, not even chocolate covered broccoli, just chocolate.
Duncan Brown, co-founder of BfB Labs, explains the thinking behind developing our video game to improve young people’s mental health, …
Most Mindfulness Products Miss Those That Need Them
You can’t call yourself a forward thinking company these days without some reference to mindfulness in your organisational strategy…
Why the world needs video games for good mental health
Over the last 18 months, with support from the Nominet Trust, we’ve been researching and developing the first version of …
Can video games use biofeedback to improve wellbeing?
We have partnered with Playlab London, Complete Coherence and 2CV to design and make a video game for young people that builds habits which increase their long term wellbeing …
Video games + behaviour change
Video games don’t normally get a good rap when it comes to the health of young people. Instinctively, replacing hours …
Young people, video games and good mental health
The chances are that if someone is going to develop a mental health disorder it will happen when they are a young person…
RSA Workshop: Designing ways to improve Everyday Wellbeing
Mental health is a major issue affecting the UK population. 25% of people in Britain will experience mental health problems every year…
Progress still battles prejudice when it comes to mental health
In April this year, as part of our three-year partnership with the Nominet Trust, we set out on 12 months of …
Coverage
Depressed five‑year‑olds can be treated with smartphone games
The Times, January 24th 2019
2017: Best of consumer innovations
Medical News Today, March 13th, 2017
Behind the tech of BfB Labs biofeedback card battler Champions of the Shengha
E Sports Pro, August 15th 2017
A game you play with your heart
Eurogamer, August 11th 2017
Champions of the Shengha is a fantasy card battler that relies on your emotions
Pocketgamer, August 8th 2017
Real-Time CCG Champions of the Shengha Comes With Special Hardware
Gameranx, August 2nd 2017
The £40 heart-tracking mobile game designed to be sold in shops
Games Industry Biz, August 8th 2017
Increase your mindfulness with the world’s first emotionally responsive game
Techly, November 18th 2016
Your Ability to Keep Calm Under Pressure Matters in Champions of the Shengha
Game Skinny, October 2016
And breathe: the computer games helping kids relax
The Guardian, October 31st 2016
2017: Best of consumer innovations
Medical News Today, March 13th 2017
Just Breathe While Playing “The Champions of Shengha”
Fox News Radio, December 16th 2016
The power and potential of emotionally responsive gaming
Tom Chattfield, November 18th 2016
This video game rewards players who master their emotions
Mashable, 11 October 2016
Keep calm! We’re testing emotionally responsive gaming.
Sky News, 11th October 2016
Win this game by controlling your stress levels
Gadget Daily, October 2016
Emotionally responsive gaming promotes mindfulness
Springwise, 18 October 2016
Stuff Innovators 2014: Health
Stuff Magazine, 25th October 2014
Charities help fill gaps in children’s mental health services
Guardian, 10 September 2014
A smartphone game to beat the blues
Sunday Express, August 10, 2014
Google just backed some new smart glasses…
Tech Radar, 31 July 2014
British charities to get £3.2m Google windfall
Telegraph, 18 July 2014
How would you change the world with half a million pounds?
Guardian, 18 July, 2014
Partners
Partners
An international research agency with specialisms in gaming and digital research. 2CV assisted in game testing and evaluation, bringing the rigorous games research used by larger game manufacturers to the project.
Billericay School, Essex - The initial prototype of the video game was tested with 60 13 year olds at the Billericay School over a six week period.