Games for health journal
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Games for health journal · Oct 2017
ReviewEmerging Utility of Virtual Reality as a Multidisciplinary Tool in Clinical Medicine.
Among the more recent products borne of the evolution of digital technology, virtual reality (VR) is gaining a foothold in clinical medicine as an adjunct to traditional therapies. Early studies suggest a growing role for VR applications in pain management, clinical skills training, cognitive assessment and cognitive therapy, and physical rehabilitation. ⋯ Through computer-generated, life-like digital landscapes, VR stands to change the current approach to pain management, medical training, neurocognitive diagnosis, and physical rehabilitation. Additional studies are needed to help define best practices in VR utilization, and to explore new therapeutic uses for VR in clinical practice.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2017
Review Case ReportsVideogame-Related Illness and Injury: A Review of the Literature and Predictions for Pokémon GO!
Reports of videogame-related illness and injury soon emerged in the literature with the inception of videogame systems and subsequent development of novel gaming platforms and technologies. In an effort to better detail the impacts of these phenomena and provide recommendations for injury prevention as it relates to Pokémon Go and the larger world of augmented reality games, we conducted an extensive systems-based review of past trends in videogame-related illness and injury from the literature. ⋯ As videogames become increasingly advanced and immersive, they expose players to unique and often more serious injury and illness. Augmented reality games, such as Pokémon GO, are the next step in the evolution of this trend and likely portend a future in which many pathologic processes may become increasingly common.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2015
ReviewBetter Together: Outcomes of Cooperation Versus Competition in Social Exergaming.
Children and adolescents most often play active videogames, or exergames, in a social environment. Social play may enhance the potential benefits of an exergaming experience, much like group exercise and team sports are observed to improve physical activity-related outcomes above those of solitary exercise. Two ubiquitous elements of exergames are cooperation and competition. ⋯ Although the current volume of literature on competition and cooperation in exergaming is small, social exergames hold promise as an engaging alternative to traditional physical activity interventions and may promote a broad range of positive outcomes for children and adolescents. Principles of cooperation and competition are applicable for developers of health-promoting games. Future research is needed to further understand the mechanisms of how competition and cooperation in social exergaming impact physiological and psychosocial outcomes.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2015
ReviewNarrative in Exergames: Thoughts on Procedure, Mechanism, and Others.
Narratives are stories with a beginning, middle, and end that provide information about the characters and plot. Exergames are videogames that require players to move or exercise. Narratives and exergames have seldom been examined together. ⋯ However, the rewards offered by these possibilities may be offset by the challenges they pose. These challenges include the difficulty in fully integrating narratives into the gameplay, the players' limited information processing capacity, difficulty in measurement, the lack of full understanding of the player-character identification process, and the narrative saturation effects. Innovative research is needed to bridge the two potentially important domains.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2015
ReviewCultivating Engagement and Enjoyment in Exergames Using Feedback, Challenge, and Rewards.
This article reviews theoretical and empirical evidence related to three mechanisms for encouraging enjoyment during exergame play: Feedback, challenge, and rewards. ⋯ Feedback, challenge, and rewards are promising mechanisms by which exergames could become more enjoyable. How these concepts are operationalized can affect physical and psychological reactions to exergames. Attention to these concepts in future exergame development and implementation would benefit theory, research, and practice.