Health Technology, Gamification, and Game Mechanics
Health Technology, Gamification, and Game Mechanics
Health Technology, Gamification, and Game Mechanics
October 19, 2020
Summary
Gamification and game mechanics have been introduced into the health care arena to help engage and motivate us.
Neatly packaged as fun and sparking a competitive spirit, programs that incorporate game mechanics often come equipped with communication tools to compete against other users and feature points, levels and leaderboards that allow for comparisons between different people and/or teams.
In short, gamification takes advantage of our natural affinity to compete and aims to use this to inspire and direct people toward healthier behaviors.
The problem is that gamification only drives motivation in a superficial way, and its effect is fleeting after the "Game" is over.
Gamification applied with mobile health applications is now also being explored as a way to facilitate patients' self-management.
In type 1 and type 2 diabetes, digital games are being used as a part of health interventions.
Gamifying behavior change can help different groups of people, especially children and adolescents, cope better with the disease and change their lifestyle to support healthy choices.
The Heart Foundation has begun to use gamification in a bid to better engage their users with the hope of achieving behavioral changes that are generally difficult to promote.
It appears gamification has its place and can help motivate people in certain situations.
Commitment and careful thought are required to utilize their potential in a sustainable and health-promoting way when using game mechanics as strategy in behavior change design.
Reference
Health Technology, Gamification, and Game Mechanics – Win or Fail? (2020, October 19). Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://innotechtoday.com/health-technology-gamification-and-game-mechanics-win-or-fail/