Though My Child's Eyes: Imaginative Play to Promote Peaceful Behavior in Separated and Divorcing Parents

Decades of research have shown that exposure to parental conflict predicts poor outcomes for children across family structures, socioeconomic status and cultural and geographical lines. Children exposed to parental conflict are more likely to develop mental and physical health problems. A gameplay experience in which the "bad guys" are identified and battled has been shown to have powerful transformative effects post trauma. The open question is: as the children identify the "bad guys" and see themselves as the "secret identity" that gathers allies and activates power-ups—will the imaginative play in the game have a transformative effect?