SkillSaga

Project period: 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027
Target group: Young people aged 16-19 living with chronic illnesses
Countries: Germany and Denmark
Total project budget: €307,405
Project funding: €199,813

SkillSaga is funded through the Interreg Germany–Denmark programme by the PKP Germany–Denmark and co-financed by the European Union.

Exploring how games can help young people navigate life with chronic illness

• German-Danish collaboration between researchers, clinical partners, a youth network, and game developers
• The project explores which aspects of everyday life with chronic illness matter most to young people, and how they could become part of a game
• Young people aged 16–19 shape the development through workshops, co-design activities, and prototype testing

As part of the German-Danish project SkillSaga, we are working with young people to develop a playful learning experience about living with chronic illness. Building on the findings of the previous CAT – Child to Adult Transitions project, SkillSaga explores which topics matter most to young people and how they can be turned into an engaging game rather than another traditional learning format.

From CAT to SkillSaga

CAT developed workshops around the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare, covering topics such as communicating with doctors, relationships, education and work, independence, social support, and managing everyday life with an illness.

SkillSaga uses these experiences as a starting point, but focuses on a younger and more diverse group. Together with the participants, we are identifying which topics matter most and what can meaningfully become part of a game.

One theme that has already emerged is the experience of wanting to feel normal while living with a chronic illness: feeling different from peers, deciding when and how to talk about an illness, finding people who understand, and recognising personal strengths.

Developing the game together

The young participants from Germany and Denmark are involved in shaping both the content and the format of the game. In workshops, they play different games, discuss their own gaming preferences, explore themes from everyday life, and develop ideas for what the game could be about.

The exact format is deliberately still open. The ideas from the workshops will form the first prototype, which will then be tested and refined with the participants.

Learning beyond the clinical setting

A central challenge is finding the balance between meaningful content and an experience that people actually want to play. SkillSaga is therefore not simply turning the CAT workshops into a digital learning tool.

Instead, we are exploring how game mechanics, interaction, social play, and storytelling can create engaging ways to approach difficult or rarely discussed topics and help young people reflect on their own experiences and resources.

The resulting game is intended to work in different environments, including clinical settings, youth organisations, holiday camps, peer support groups, and other informal educational contexts.

The project is also exploring how the game could help people without chronic illnesses better understand these experiences, while keeping the perspective of young people living with chronic illnesses at its centre.

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Project Partners

• Sjællands Universitetshospital – Forskningsenheden i Staben (FORSK), Denmark
  Lead partner responsible for project coordination, communication, administration, and youth participation.

• Universität Greifswald – Lehrstuhl Gesundheit und Prävention, Institut für Psychologie, Germany
  Leads the learning content and learning goals, drawing on transition research and the previous CAT project.
  
• Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Kiel – Klinik für Kinderonkologie und -Rheumatologie, Germany
  Provides clinical expertise and supports recruitment, participation, and testing with young people in Germany.

• Off The Beaten Track, Kiel, Germany
  Responsible for game design and development, including the game concept, mechanics, prototyping, testing, and final prototype.

Network Partners

• SygtStærk, Denmark
  Supports recruitment, co-design, testing, and dissemination.
  
• Charité Berlin / German Rheumatology Research Center, Germany
  Provides clinical and strategic advice and supports transferability into clinical and community settings.
  
• Deutsches Zentrum für Kinder- und Jugendgesundheit (DZKJ), PPPI Board Greifswald/Rostock, Germany
  Contributes expertise in patient, parent, and public involvement, particularly around participatory quality, usability, and transferability.