SimBody

Many of the top causes of death in the world are directly related to risk factors that can be avoided with changes in lifestyle behaviors. Computers with Internet access are widely available, and their multimedia capabilities show great potential for e-learning. Furthermore, most of the frequent Internet users already look for health related information online. This chapter presents an interactive simulator that educates people on how to mitigate the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The application is named SimBody and was initially developed in the context of a Master Thesis at Technical University of Lisbon (IST), in collaboration with ZPX, a multimedia software development company. SimBody allows the users to control the behaviors of an avatar. Besides showing the contribution of each decision towards the risk of cardiovascular diseases, it offers contextualized lifestyle advices and depicts the progression of atherosclerosis. After knowledge transmission tests, the majority of the participants stated that after using SimBody they are more aware of the dangers and intend to introduce changes to their lifestyle.

Smart Phone Video Game Simulation of Parent-Child Interaction

Higher levels of vegetable intake have been associated with decreased risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, several cancers, and possibly obesity, but vegetable intake is generally low. Preference is an important determinant of vegetable intake, and food preferences are initiated early in life, but parents of preschoolers commonly report difficulties in getting their child to eat, or even taste, vegetables. What parents do to get their child to do something in a specific context (such as eating, homework, or chores) has been labeled “parenting practices.” Based on research on parenting practices (effective and ineffective) related to preschoolers’ vegetable consumption (hereinafter called vegetable parenting), a smart phone application (app) game prototype was developed to help parents of preschool children use effective vegetable parenting practices. This chapter presents the extensive formative research, describes the game app, and explains the behavioral science foundation.

Nutrition Games

The purpose of this chapter on Nutrition Games is to highlight the need for nutrition game development, review current nutrition games and research, and direct attention to applicable resources on this topic. There is a dire need for nutrition education assistance and help to alleviate nutrition problems in the world, ranging from undernutrition to overnutriton. Gaming strategies have been successful with a multitude of health issues, such as smoking and exercise, but little has been done on the topic of nutrition. Much need and opportunity exists in this complex area of game development that embraces art and science.

Rehabilitation Gaming

A recent innovation in rehabilitation is the use of serious gaming to train motor, cognitive, and social abilities. The main advantages of rehabilitation gaming are related to the motivation to engage in rehabilitation, the objectivity of rehabilitation measurements, and the personalization of the treatment. This chapter focuses on the use and effectiveness of serious gaming in rehabilitation and illustrates the possibilities and strengths in this new and exciting work field. Furthermore, a review of the literature and examples of rehabilitation games are presented. The state-of-the-art technologies and directions for future research are also discussed. Rehabilitation gaming has great potential for today’s and future health care, and despite the research gaps, there is increasing evidence that gaming can positively contribute to the rehabilitation and recovery process.

A Serious Game for On-the-Ward Infection Control Awareness Training

Healthcare associated infections represent a major ongoing cost to health services. This chapter reviews the development and deployment of Ward Off Infection, a serious game targeted at improving infection control practices of nurses in on-the-ward training. The game was deployed in 2009 across 13 hospital wards within the UK. As limited usage of the game precluded attempts to consider its efficacy though pre and post-survey, this chapter focuses upon the key issues surrounding this low uptake. Relating these more generally to the deployment of serious games in healthcare, a potential link is observed between the presence of training professionals and usage of the game, as well as strong overriding perceptions of the medium and training objectives by users. The findings demonstrate the challenges associated with enacting effective behavioural and attitudinal change through a serious game deployed in an on the ward context, particularly with respect to stimulating high levels of perceived usefulness. Hence, the authors reflect on key lessons learned in the development and deployment of Ward Off Infection, and relate their findings to other studies of serious games in healthcare, identifying the context in which a game is deployed to be a critical development consideration.

Active Video Games

Concerns over rising obesity rates and increased sedentary lifestyles are fueling interest in ways to increase physical activity, including video games. Videogames that encourage physical activity, called active video games or exergames, have the potential to increase daily physical activity and provide recommended vigorous activity. As a result, they may play an important role in the home, schools, after-school and community programs for contributing to weight loss, social interaction, family goal setting, and academic achievement. Here, the authors review the current state of research on exergames, make recommendations on best uses for implementing them in a variety of settings, and provide examples of how exergames have been used in a variety of settings.

Ethics in the Design of Serious Games for Healthcare and Medicine

This chapter discusses (1) what is required to design games that are ethical and (2) the integration of ethico-legal perspectives related to the learning outcomes in the design of serious games for healthcare training, and the challenges around both these goals. An interdisciplinary perspective is taken and evidence from medicine, healthcare, psychology, and computer science is applied in discussing the identified issues and in developing recommendations for future research and development.

Healthcare Games and the Metaphoric Approach

Many serious games dedicated to the health sector have been identified. Within this wide range, the authors have explored the Serious games offering an educational dimension and targeting either individuals or health-care professionals. Based on a corpus built around this orientation, the goal is to determine whether or not it is possible to find a use, targeted or not, involving metaphorical contexts among different titles. In the corpus studied, no metaphor is used for serious game targeting health-care professionals contrary to serious games targeting individuals. For this target, the game universe is mainly metaphorical. A discussion in the light of didactic and motivational arguments suggests that a metaphorical universe could be beneficial in the case where more transversal skills are targeted.

Serious Game for Relationships and Sex Education

This chapter illustrates the application of an Intervention Mapping approach to the development and design of a Serious Game addressing relationships and sex education (RSE) needs in British adolescents. Needs assessment identified experience of pressure/coercion in sexual relationships as the topic for a Serious Game-based RSE session. The process of applying intervention mapping including evidence review, identification of a programme goal, performance objectives and associated determinants, and change objectives are explicated. The way that these were translated into a concept and content for a Serious Game is explained. Evaluation plans grounded in the planning process, and commentary on challenges experienced, are also provided. The chapter provides an important contribution to approaches that can ensure efficacy of Serious Games applied to healthcare issues.

First-Person Shooter Game Engines and Healthcare

First-person shooter (FPS) games have evolved from humble beginnings to what is currently considered the interactive entertainment genre most associated with state-of-the-art developments in gaming, particularly those of a technological and graphical nature. This chapter outlines and discusses past efforts, current usage of contemporary tools, and, finally, the significant suggested potential of first-person shooter gaming engines in the area of health, irrespective of whether these are targeted towards healthcare professional training, patient rehabilitation, or even raising awareness on key issues (to name but a few contemporary and/or suggested remits of the medium).