scholarly journals A Prototype Exercise–Empowerment Mobile Video Game for Children With Cancer, and Its Usability Assessment: Developing Digital Empowerment Interventions for Pediatric Diseases

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol S. Bruggers ◽  
Sabrina Baranowski ◽  
Mathew Beseris ◽  
Rachel Leonard ◽  
Derek Long ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Petr Květon ◽  
Martin Jelínek

Abstract. This study tests two competing hypotheses, one based on the general aggression model (GAM), the other on the self-determination theory (SDT). GAM suggests that the crucial factor in video games leading to increased aggressiveness is their violent content; SDT contends that gaming is associated with aggression because of the frustration of basic psychological needs. We used a 2×2 between-subject experimental design with a sample of 128 undergraduates. We assigned each participant randomly to one experimental condition defined by a particular video game, using four mobile video games differing in the degree of violence and in the level of their frustration-invoking gameplay. Aggressiveness was measured using the implicit association test (IAT), administered before and after the playing of a video game. We found no evidence of an association between implicit aggressiveness and violent content or frustrating gameplay.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Ast ◽  
Margaret Meyer ◽  
R. Elyse Heidelberg ◽  
Jennifer M. Allen ◽  
Amy Ly ◽  
...  

Children with cancer can experience intense suffering. Currently, despite our best efforts, symptoms associated with both cancer and its treatment result in physical, psychological, and emotional discomfort that can be difficult to manage with traditional Western medicine alone. Developing integrative services within a pediatric hematology-oncology program may help improve cancer-related symptoms by combining different modalities targeting overall health with traditional oncology care. This study details the initial development of a Pediatric Integrative Oncology (PIO) program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats cancer and other catastrophic pediatric diseases. We highlight facilitators and barriers to integration of PIO. In addition, we advocate that PIO clinicians add to the growing literature base by sharing clinical and administrative experiences across institutions to support the long-term goal of developing specific guidelines that focus on using integrative modalities in children with cancer.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukasz D. Kaczmarek ◽  
Maciej Behnke ◽  
Marzena Dżon

Individuals usually benefit from Pokémon Go gaming because this mobile video game provides an attractive opportunity for increased outdoor physical activity and socializing. However, based on prior studies on gaming and electronic media use, excessive Pokémon Go involvement is likely to be related to adverse phenomena such as mental problems (smartphone addiction and phubbing), pain (in neck, arms, and legs), and eye-related problems (dry eye and impaired focusing). We expected that excessive Pokémon Go players would exhibit stronger mental and physical symptomatology. Pokémon Go players (N = 450) completed an online survey reporting Pokémon Go addiction symptoms, smartphone addiction symptoms, phubbing habits, time spent playing Pokémon Go, pain, and eye problems. We also controlled for overall use of other electronic media. We found that individuals with higher levels of Pokémon Go addiction reported more pain and more problems with vision. Increased smartphone addiction and phubbing partially mediated these effects. This study contributes to a balanced perspective on the biopsychosocial outcomes of health behaviors gamification via mobile video games.


Author(s):  
Jessica Korte ◽  
Leigh Ellen Potter ◽  
Sue Nielsen

Author(s):  
Scott Mitchell ◽  
Sheryl N Hamilton

Plague Inc. is an enduringly popular mobile video game in which players create diseases and attempt to eradicate humanity; it has been downloaded more than 60 million times and been met with largely positive critical reception, with many reviews praising the game as a ‘realistic outbreak simulator’. This article explores Plague Inc. as both an artifact, and productive, of ‘pandemic culture’, a social imaginary that describes how the threat of pandemic increasingly shapes our day-to-day life. Ludic and narrative elements of the game were identified and selected for analysis, along with paratexts surrounding the game. Three aspects of Plague Inc. were used to structure the analysis: its politics of global scale, its viral realism, and its visual culture of contagion. The article examines how the ways in which Plague Inc. articulates ideas about pandemic may not only explain the game’s immense success but also provide insights into public perceptions and popular discourses about disease threats. The article argues that the game is an incomplete text that depends on preexisting familiarity with other disease media. It concludes that the popularity and longevity of Plague Inc., as well as its broader social relevance, can be explained by placing it within the context of public anxieties about vulnerability to infectious diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotta Hamari ◽  
Liisa S. Järvelä ◽  
Päivi M. Lähteenmäki ◽  
Mikko Arola ◽  
Anna Axelin ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of active video games in promoting physical activity and motor performance, and reducing fatigue in children with cancer. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. The intervention included playing Nintendo Wii™Fit (Nintendo Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) for 30 min/day for 8 weeks. Physical activity was estimated with accelerometers, physical activity diaries and questionnaires. Movement-ABC2 and PedsQL™ were used to examine motor performance and fatigue. Intervention experiences and fidelity were examined with an interview. Results Participants (n = 36 children with cancer, 3–16 years-old) were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The median [min–max] accelerometer counts/h (500 [131–1130] vs 385 [116–1012], p = 0.63) and physical activity min/day (34 [0–150] vs 23 [0–260], p = 0.95) did not differ between the groups. Change between the pre-test and post-test regarding motor performance and fatigue was similar in both groups (motor performance p = 0.77; fatigue p = 1.00). Participants experienced playing active video games meaningful, but the intervention was not followed completely as instructed. Overall, the physical activity levels were low and one fourth of the children had or were at risk of having movement difficulties. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01748058 (October 15, 2012)


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document