Researchers are testing Eco-Rescue, a video game designed to strengthen attention control and emotional regulation, as a tool to reduce anxiety in adolescents. Florida International University is recruiting 50 teens aged 11–15 for the U.S. arm of a multi-site randomized trial (about 150 participants total). Participants will be assigned to Eco-Rescue, an active-control game, or no game for six weeks; Eco-Rescue players will do roughly 30 minutes a day, four days a week. Outcomes include attention, emotional regulation, and anxiety symptoms; if effective, the game could offer an accessible supplement to traditional care.
Can a Video Game Ease Teen Anxiety? Eco-Rescue Enters a U.S. Clinical Trial
Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental-health condition in adolescents worldwide: the World Health Organization estimates about 4.1% of 10–14-year-olds and 5.3% of 15–19-year-olds are affected. Recognizing that traditional therapy helps many but not all young people, researchers are testing whether a purpose-built video game can train attention skills and reduce anxiety symptoms in teens.
The game, called Eco-Rescue, casts players as pilots working to restore damaged ecosystems. Gameplay requires tracking moving objects, adapting to sudden changes, and juggling multiple tasks—skills intended to strengthen attention control and emotional regulation. As levels progress, difficulty increases, giving players repeated, engaging practice in cognitive skills that clinicians often target in therapy.
Unlike general brain-training titles or games developed for other conditions such as ADHD, Eco-Rescue was designed specifically to target cognitive processes linked to anxiety. The project is a collaboration between Florida International University’s Center for Children and Families and researchers at the University of Geneva, combining clinical trial experience with cognitive-training and game-design expertise.
“The University of Geneva team brings expertise in cognitive training and game design, while FIU contributes its experience running clinical trials and studying anxiety in young people,” said Jeremy Pettit, psychology professor and executive director of FIU’s Center for Children and Families. “Together, this partnership combines the science behind the game with the clinical rigor to test how well it works.”
How the Trial Works
FIU is the first site in the United States to enroll participants in the multi-site clinical trial. The university is recruiting 50 adolescents aged 11–15 as part of a broader study expected to include about 150 participants across all sites. The age range targets early adolescence, when anxiety commonly emerges and the developing brain may be especially responsive to targeted interventions.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) an Eco-Rescue group that plays the game at home, (2) an active-control group that plays a different game without attention-training components, and (3) a no-game control group. Teens in the Eco-Rescue arm will play about 30 minutes per day, four days a week, for six weeks—roughly 12 hours of gameplay in total.
Researchers will assess changes in attention control, emotional regulation, and anxiety symptoms across groups to evaluate whether Eco-Rescue produces measurable benefits. If effective, the game could become a low-friction, accessible adjunct to traditional care—especially for families who face barriers to therapy or rely on digital devices for daily activities.
“Adolescents are already spending a lot of time engaging with digital media,” Pettit added. “This project allows us to meet them where they are while delivering an intervention grounded in science.”
While promising, the approach requires rigorous evidence: even well-designed digital interventions must demonstrate real clinical benefit through randomized trials before they can be recommended as treatments. The current study is intended to deliver that rigorous test.
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