A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion

Abstract

Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further exploration of which game features create larger effects are needed.

Effectiveness of Serious Gaming During Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation for Patients with Complex Chronic Pain or Fatigue: A Natural Quasi-experiment (Preprint)

“…Few previous studies assessed the effect of exposure to games on health outcomes with a pragmatic trial design [59,60]. The small effect size found in this study is consistent with those studies, as well as with previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of games for clinical and behavioral outcomes [30,35]. Although interdependent outcome domains change simultaneously [61], results add specifically to anecdotal evidence from previous randomized trials that depressive symptoms are a plausible target for serious gaming [60,62].…”

“…Serious games that primarily aim at health benefits, may take the form of a video game [30]. Indeed, whether video gaming is harmful or conducive for behavior and health is dependent on content (e.g.…”

“…players and instructional support) [31,32]. Serious games may combine small behavioral and clinical benefits with independent accessibility and standardized content of computer-based intervention [33], and subjective qualities of game play such as intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, positive affect, sense of presence, and meta-cognition [30,34,35]. Games are an ubiquitous but undefinable cultural phenomenon, described as bounded 'spaces'; physically, imaginarily, or in time, apart from ongoing reality, wherein individuals involve voluntarily, create meanings and develop adaptive capacities, e.g.…”

“…Adding an additional component to an already intensive treatment program has neither been deemed likely nor intended to increase cost-effectiveness at present, but may offer useful insight for achieving this in the future. Although previous studies suggest that effects of serious games for behavioral change are retained [30], it is uncertain how a small reinforcing influence on patterns of outcome change that started earlier during treatment will develop further in time. A lack of more stringent diagnostic methods at inclusion poses an internal validity threat.…”

“…In this regard, present findings point towards potential positive effects when (mindfulness-based) serious gaming is presented later on in a rehabilitation process to patients with chronic back pain and comorbid psychosocial problems. Patients, policy makers, and professionals must be aware of the ongoing developmental stage wherein accumulation of knowledge is needed before the full potential of serious gaming can be realized routinely and efficiently into complex healthcare care systems [30,68]. To achieve the 19 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 37 highest potential of serious gaming for health, more theoretically oriented and context sensitive studies are needed in addition to more powerful outcome assessment trials.…”