  Early adolescence is a time of major social change; a strong sense of
belonging and peer connectedness is an essential protective factor in mental
health during that period. In this paper we introduce LINA, an augmented
reality (AR) smartphone-based serious game played in school by an entire class
(age 10+) together with their teacher, which aims to facilitate and improve
peer interaction, sense of belonging and class climate, while creating a safe
space to reflect on mental health and external stressors related to family
circumstance. LINA was developed through an interdisciplinary collaboration
involving a playwright, software developers, psychologists, and artists, via an
iterative co-development process with young people. A prototype has been
evaluated quantitatively for usability and qualitatively for efficacy in a
study with 91 early adolescents (agemean=11.41). Results from the Game User
Experience Satisfaction Scale (GUESS-18) and data from qualitative focus groups
showed high acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the game. Using AR, a
shared immersive narrative and collaborative gameplay in a shared physical
space offers an opportunity to harness adolescent affinity for digital
technology towards improving real-world social connection and sense of
belonging.
