Invite Only VR Pilot: Development of a Vaping Prevention Game for Adolescents

Nicotine and cannabis co-use is rising among adolescents who vape. In 2023, 6.5% and 11.4% of eighth graders in the United States reported vaping nicotine and cannabis, respectively (NIDA, 2023). In Connecticut (CT), it is illegal for individuals under the age of 21 to purchase these products. Despite this, in 2021, 10.6% of adolescents who reported past-month e-cigarette use had vaped nicotine while 7.7% had vaped cannabis (CSHS, 2021).The goal of the IOVR project is to develop and implement a virtual reality (VR) videogame intervention focused on delivering e-cigarette and cannabis vaping prevention and emotion regulation education among teens.In the years 2023 and 2024, the IOVR research team has conducted 19 individual interviews with teacher and staff across four Connecticut (CT) school districts and focus groups with 29 middle school students from three CT school districts to gather insights for the videogame content. Game development is in progress with our partner developer, PreviewLabs. In addition, we are conducting community engagement activities every month with CT school students (ages 15 to 18 years) through videogame group discussions to facilitate development of teen-friendly characters, storyline, and dialogues for the IOVR game.