Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Gamification is increasingly being proposed as a strategy to increase engagement for mental health and wellbeing technologies. However, its implementation has been criticized as atheoretical, particularly in relation to behavior change theory and game studies theories. Definitions of the term “gamif...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586379/full |
| _version_ | 1818616017555816448 |
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| author | Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng |
| author_facet | Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng |
| author_sort | Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gamification is increasingly being proposed as a strategy to increase engagement for mental health and wellbeing technologies. However, its implementation has been criticized as atheoretical, particularly in relation to behavior change theory and game studies theories. Definitions of the term “gamification” vary, sometimes widely, between and within academic fields and the effectiveness of gamification is yet to be empirically established. Despite this, enthusiasm for developing gamified mental health technologies, such as interventions, continues to grow. There is a need to examine how best to implement gamification in mental health and wellbeing technologies in a way that takes quick production cycles into account while still emphasizing empirical investigation and building a rigorous evidence base. With reference to game studies and the medical (eHealth/mHealth) literature, this article interrogates gamification for mental health and wellbeing by examining core properties of the game form. It then explores how gamification can best be conceptualized and implemented for mental health and wellbeing goals from conceptualization through to iterative co-development and evaluation that accommodates software development schedules. Finally, it summarizes its conceptual analysis into recommendations for researchers and designers looking to do so. These recommendations are: (1) assess suitability, (2) implement to support, (3) assess acceptability, (4) evaluate impact, and (5) document comprehensively. These recommendations aim to encourage clear language, unified terminology, the application and evaluation of theory, comprehensive and constant documentation, and transparent evaluation of outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:43:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4c6b6635a30411f976812a865029764 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:43:07Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4c6b6635a30411f976812a8650297642022-12-21T22:24:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-12-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.586379586379Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and WellbeingVanessa Wan Sze ChengGamification is increasingly being proposed as a strategy to increase engagement for mental health and wellbeing technologies. However, its implementation has been criticized as atheoretical, particularly in relation to behavior change theory and game studies theories. Definitions of the term “gamification” vary, sometimes widely, between and within academic fields and the effectiveness of gamification is yet to be empirically established. Despite this, enthusiasm for developing gamified mental health technologies, such as interventions, continues to grow. There is a need to examine how best to implement gamification in mental health and wellbeing technologies in a way that takes quick production cycles into account while still emphasizing empirical investigation and building a rigorous evidence base. With reference to game studies and the medical (eHealth/mHealth) literature, this article interrogates gamification for mental health and wellbeing by examining core properties of the game form. It then explores how gamification can best be conceptualized and implemented for mental health and wellbeing goals from conceptualization through to iterative co-development and evaluation that accommodates software development schedules. Finally, it summarizes its conceptual analysis into recommendations for researchers and designers looking to do so. These recommendations are: (1) assess suitability, (2) implement to support, (3) assess acceptability, (4) evaluate impact, and (5) document comprehensively. These recommendations aim to encourage clear language, unified terminology, the application and evaluation of theory, comprehensive and constant documentation, and transparent evaluation of outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586379/fullengagementwellbeingmental healthmHealtheHealthgamification |
| spellingShingle | Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing Frontiers in Psychology engagement wellbeing mental health mHealth eHealth gamification |
| title | Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| title_full | Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| title_fullStr | Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| title_short | Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| title_sort | recommendations for implementing gamification for mental health and wellbeing |
| topic | engagement wellbeing mental health mHealth eHealth gamification |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586379/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vanessawanszecheng recommendationsforimplementinggamificationformentalhealthandwellbeing |