Teaching and Learning, Outreach and Engagement Creating accessible digital places of comfort for children 

In the service-learning courses GAME3036 Virtual World: Design and Interaction and GAME4026 Creative Production in Extended Reality, taught by Mr Yu Ka-ho in the Department of Interactive Media, students harnessed technological innovation to support children and families at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Hong Kong.

Through this partnership, 51 students designed immersive games and virtual reality (VR) experiences on themes ranging from wellbeing and self-image to imaginative worlds, freedom and end-of-life. By listening to RMHC families’ stories and everyday challenges, they embraced an empathetic, user-centred design approach.

The resulting virtual environments mirrored reassuring real-world spaces, offering digital recreations of positive experiences tailored to RMHC’s children and their families. Students also created an interactive virtual tour of RMHC’s facilities using digital-twin techniques.

Since opening, the newly built RMHC Kwun Tong has welcomed more than 500 visitors from around the world. These courses fostered human-centred innovation, demonstrating how university–community partnerships can strengthen accessible, inclusive digital infrastructure for health and wellbeing. The experience broadened students’ perspectives on technology for social good, while RMHC families benefitted from engaging, personalised experiences created specifically for them. For children undergoing prolonged treatment, the bespoke VR experiences evoked wonder and joy—offering moments of escape during difficult times—and enriched students’ learning while making a meaningful impact on young patients and their families.