Gamification and family leisure to alleviate the psychological impact of confinement due to COVID‐19

Abstract

This study presents a quasi‐experimental longitudinal mixed‐methods research about the participation in leisure activities, physical activity, and games, as part of the family leisure programme (“Lunae Magic School”) for Spanish families with children under 12 years old during COVID‐19 lockdown. The impact on parents and their perception of the psychological well‐being of their children is evaluated. The results show that leisure activities reduce the parent's anxiety levels measured with STAI scale ( p = .0001) and their perception of the physical and emotional discomfort of their children, measured with PSC scale ( p < .0001). It is qualitatively argued that despite the confinement situation, the gamification, the variety of activities and the fact of being able to enjoy quality time with the family have allowed the creation of spaces of fun and flow. Therefore, although the findings on the importance of family leisure were encouraging, more research is needed on the implementation of similar programmes.

Perspectives of socioeconomically disadvantaged parents on their children's coping during COVID‐19: Implications for practice

“…A range of support services and modes of delivery, such as telehealth services, after hours phone services, and peer support, are needed to meet the varied needs and accessibility challenges for parents and children, particularly those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged (Golberstein et al, 2020 ; Lee, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ). In addition to mental‐health specific support services, there is evidence that online family leisure games can serve to mitigate the anxiety and stress associated with home confinement (Manzano‐León et al, 2021 ).…”

The Corporate (Magic) Circle: Fun Work or Controlled Play?

“…Currently, this subject gains even more relevance, since the COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous changes into people's routines, enhancing telework (Mendonça et al, 2022 ) and lighting up discussions about productivity and motivation (Prodanova & Kocarev, 2022 ), together with well-being and mental health of people within this new global reality (Carillo et al, 2021 ; Giorgi et al, 2020 ; Impact et al, 2021 ; Shahriarirad et al, 2021 ). Gamification, during COVID-19 quarantine, showed positive results for the well-being and relief of the tension of people in confinement (Manzano-León et al, 2021 ) and showed a potential positive effect on leveraging both motivation and employee engagement (Pura, 2022 ) . As discussed in above, serious games and gamification have the general purpose of improving productivity, motivation, well-being, and mental health.…”

Mind-stimulating leisure activities: Prospective associations with health, wellbeing, and longevity

“…It can be considered a complex human need with various adaptive purposes (1). These include improving physiological and psychological functioning (2), enjoying entertainment and pleasant moments (3), seeking distraction from daily concerns and stressful work (4), spending time with family, friends, and acquaintances (5,6), coping with social crises (7), and even informal learning (8). In addition, leisure seems to constitute one of the most fundamental human behaviors and a part of our daily routines since the early stages of human evolution (9,10).…”