Games for Health Journal最新文献

Objective: This pilot study explores the potential of the serious game Kamferhjemmet in training health care professionals in Norway on the use of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Materials and Methods: Using a multimethods approach, the research involved pre- and postgame surveys, interviews, and observations with 29 participants from two health care institutions. Results: The findings revealed that while participants generally exhibited high digital literacy and had a positive attitude toward game-based learning, there were notable challenges, including game repetitiveness, interface issues, and the difficulty of integrating the game into busy work schedules. Despite these challenges, the majority of participants believed the game enhanced their proficiency with MUST. Conclusion: The study concludes that while Kamferhjemmet shows promise as an educational tool, further refinements to the game design and structured implementation within health care training programs are needed. Future research should explore a comparison with traditional training methods to fully assess the effectiveness of serious games in health care education.

Objective: The human-computer interface is pivotal in advancing products like virtual reality (VR) games tailored for upper limb rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted with 60 male participants, all young construction workers aged 20 to 30, who were selected from two rehabilitation centers, specifically targeting individuals with comparable upper limb dysfunctions resultant from occupational injuries, as assessed by qualified physiotherapists. The study evaluated various image presentation methodologies, two types of head-mounted displays (HMDs), tethered to a PC and a stand-alone, and a TV. Participants engaged in a series of five distinct rehabilitation games, executing a standardized sequence of movements over a 30-minute duration. Results: Findings revealed a significant correlation between the chosen interface and factors such as technology acceptance, usability, user experience, spatial presence, and perceived stress during the training sessions. To compare display methods Mann-Whitney U tests were performed. The HMD configurations generally outperformed the TV option. The stand-alone HMD particularly demonstrated superior outcomes in comparison to both, TV and HMD tethered to PC, with increases observed in intent to use (52% and 16%), overall performance (41% and 15%), and perceived usefulness (20% and 16%). The usability assessment conducted by physiotherapists yielded an average score of 74.5, indicating a consensus on the practicality and effectiveness of the system. Conclusion: The high usability of HMD aligns with previous studies. New findings concern an in-depth comparative analysis of interfaces across multiple dimensions. Future research should explore the evaluation of interfaces after long-term use and factors influencing therapy effectiveness and upper limb functionality.

Objective: To describe the gamification process of peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) and intravenous fluid therapy (IFT) in nursing education and conduct usability testing of the 3D virtual simulation game. Materials and Methods: A 3D virtual simulation game was developed to teach PIVC and IFT based on the current literature, Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, and Schell's Elemental Tetrad. The game, IntraveNurseGame, had 11 stages, and it rewarded the players with score-based titles based on Benner's clinical competence stages. Usability testing was conducted with 17 participants, including 5 nursing experts and 12 senior nursing students. Heuristic evaluation with experts, think-aloud method, and user tests were performed using the Game Evaluation Questionnaire and GUESS-20-TR-Scale. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis were used. Results: Experts were satisfied with the game experience and had fun. The game met their expectations and could help the nursing students learn the subject. Experts provided suggestions, including visual similarity of some animations, instructions regarding how to use the mouse cursor, and encouragement for students to remember the steps of the actual procedure by removing the instructions from some stages. Users scored the GUESS-20-TR mean score above the moderate level (5.71 ± 0.90), showing they were satisfied with the gaming experience. Conclusion: The 3D virtual simulation game had good usability features with some areas of improvement. The theories and elements used in this study can help nurse educators and researchers develop effective games and engaging game-rewarding systems. The usability testing provided valuable information for the games to be developed in the future.

Objective: Gaming has been suggested as an effective way to exchange social support, a resource critical to global mental health and post-pandemic recovery. Virtual and analog (pen-and-paper) table-top role-playing game (TTRPG) popularity grew during and following the pandemic; yet, unlike their video-game counterparts research into TTRPGs remains limited. Parallel to online video-games, TTRPGs may be similarly positioned to foster and promote social support. Informed by analogous gaming research, this study explored how players give and receive social support within face-to-face and virtual TTRPGs through a stress buffering lens. Materials and Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology, based on the 2-way social support scale data from 186 participants was analyzed to determine if differences exist across social, demographic and gameplay variables. Results: Participants derived more meaningful social support through analog TTRPGs, although virtual TTRPG interfaces still afford meaningful social support, while benefiting from greater accessibility. Participants in the role of "game masters", who act as game facilitators and narrators, were shown to provide more social support than players, while greater levels of social support encouraged ongoing attendance. Additionally, players' consistent attendance and social familiarity enhanced given and received social support. Lastly, although similar social support was reported across genders, males were overrepresented in game-directing positions of power. Conclusion: This is the first known study to explore social support within TTRPGs. The findings have implications for the design of games to support communities, post-pandemic recovery, and therapeutic applications. Future research is encouraged.

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of escape room simulation intervention on the knowledge, anxiety, and satisfaction levels of students in emergency nursing education. Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted with 40 students studying at the nursing faculty of a university in Istanbul. The students in the intervention group (n = 20) were given an escape room simulation intervention related to emergency nursing education. The students in the control group (n = 20) were not given any intervention other than the traditional education method. Data were collected using the Knowledge Test, State Anxiety Scale, and Visual Analog Scale for satisfaction. Results: The knowledge level of the students in the intervention group measured immediately after the education (P = 0.003), 1 week after the education (P < 0.001), and 1 month after the education (P < 0.001) was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group. While no significant difference was found in anxiety levels before and after the education between the groups, a significant difference was found in anxiety levels before and after the training in the intervention group (P < 0.001). The satisfaction level measured immediately after the education was found to be significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study show that escape room simulation increased emergency nursing knowledge and satisfaction and reduced anxiety levels of the students. It is recommended that escape room simulation intervention be used in more studies in nursing education. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.tr with the number NCT06619119.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the second-generation virtual reality intervention (SG-VRI) on the hot and cold executive functions (EFs) of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Seventy children were included in the study and randomly divided into control (n = 35) and intervention (n = 35) groups. Stroop TBAG Form, Trail Making Test, and Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory were administered to the participants before SG-VRI. SG-VRI was applied to the intervention group as two sessions per week for 8 weeks. During this period, the control group did not receive any intervention. Results: At the end of these 8 weeks, assessment tests were administered to both groups again. The final results showed that the SG-VRI was effective in improving hot and cold EF skills of children with ADHD (P < 0.05). Conclusion: We believe that the use of virtual reality interventions may be effective in the cognitive rehabilitation processes of children with ADHD.

Background: Overweight and obesity are growing concerns and significant risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, especially in industrialized nations, necessitating innovative intervention strategies. Serious games designed to provide education and effectively promote behavior change have emerged as a potential solution. Methods: This research assesses a serious game developed as a modification of the popular video game "Minecraft" called "NutriMine." This modification was created based on identified requirements from a nutrition expert through a qualitative interview and a preliminary evaluation conducted in a pilot study with 11 users. Additionally, a playtest and evaluation with 20 participants from the target group, incorporating the user engagement scale (UES), system usability scale (SUS), and game experience questionnaire (GEQ), was conducted. Results: The results indicated a satisfactory level of engagement. Overall, findings also revealed positive feedback concerning the SUS (75% of participants scored above 70) and UES (75% of participants scored above 3), with most results positioned in the upper half for both scales. The evaluation using the GEQ yielded generally positive outcomes, with minor concerns related to "competence," "flow," and "immersion" due to the varying levels of Minecraft experience among participants. The combined results of the evaluation led to the formulation of requirements for a serious game modification in the area of nutrition. Conclusion: The results highlight the modification's potential for larger-scale use as an effective behavior change tool for individuals seeking to maintain a healthy diet.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of MazeOut, an adaptive serious game for motor rehabilitation, in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), by comparing their performance and usability with that of individuals with typical development (TD) and assessing the impact of adaptive (AG) versus nonadaptive gameplay on task performance. Materials and Methods: A mixed-design study with 30 participants (15 ASD, 15 TD), aged 8 to 40 years, had each participant experience both adaptive and nonadaptive interventions in randomized order, allowing within- and between-subject comparisons. Performance was measured using overall scores (based on maze navigation speed and coin collection), and usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS). Data analysis was conducted using R software, with performance trends evaluated through segmented regression and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The TD group outperformed the ASD group across all conditions (TD median score: 27.54; ASD median score: 23.79, P < 0.001). Notably, participants in both groups achieved significantly better performance when AG was introduced first (ASD: 24.04 vs. 19.1, P < 0.001; TD: 30.2 vs. 24.31, P = 0.005), suggesting that the adaptation facilitates initial task learning. ASD participants reported slightly higher usability (mean SUS = 77.2) than TD participants (74.6), with the highest scores among younger users (81.9). Conclusions: Adaptive serious games can enhance motor performance, particularly for individuals with ASD. The findings suggest that early exposure to AG may improve task performance. Future studies with larger samples and longer interventions are needed to assess long-term benefits.

Objective: Cooking plays a crucial role in healthy eating, and food exposure during cooking significantly influences people's health and well-being. Given the challenges faced by novice cooks and the general lack of interest in cooking, this research proposes utilizing a highly engaging cooking game as an alternative to real-life cooking, allowing individuals to achieve the same health-boosting benefits as traditional cooking while enjoying the game. Additionally, this study will examine the moderating role of food type and cooking manner in this process. Methods: Two preregistered behavioral experiments (N_study1 = 60, N_study2 = 54) were conducted to examine how using different types of food (healthy vs. unhealthy) in a cooking game affects subsequent food choices, and how the cooking manner (neat vs. messy) moderates this effect. Results: Study 1 found that cooking healthy food led to healthier food choices after gaming. Study 2 revealed a significant moderating effect of cooking manner: When cooking healthy food, a neat cooking manner led individuals to subsequently choose fewer healthy foods, while a messy cooking manner led to an increase; conversely, when cooking unhealthy food, participants who cooked neatly chose more healthy food, while those who cooked messily chose less healthy food. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an engaging cooking game could replace real-life cooking as a direct and effective strategy to promote healthy eating. The results also highlight the importance of context-specific strategies in designing and implementing health interventions to prevent unintended consequences arising from excessive cues.