JMIR Serious Games

Public health education plays a crucial role in effectively addressing infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. However, existing educational materials often provide only foundational information, and traditional group education faces challenges due to social distancing policies.

Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide. CPR and early defibrillation significantly enhance survival rates. Serious Games (SG) improve learning through entertainment. Current strategies target Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for communities and schoolchildren, but none have been validated for children in low-to-middle-income settings. The SG Children Save Hearts, developed in Brazil, teaches the five resuscitation steps according to International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation 2020 guidelines and requires formal usability assessment. The study aimed to evaluate the usability of SG Children Save Hearts among IT and healthcare professionals using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The usability test was conducted in August 2022 in the university's IT department. The game was developed targeting schoolchildren aged 7 to 17. Categorical variables as absolute and relative frequencies, while continuous variables were presented as median with interquartile range (IQR). Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Comparisons between IT and healthcare professionals were made using the independent t-test for normal distributions or the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normal distributions. We included 17 volunteers with a mean age of 22 years (IQR 20-26). All participants played the game and completed a 10-question survey on its usability using a Likert-type scale. The final grade was converted to a 0 to 100 scale, with a grade above 70 considered acceptable for a minimum viable product. The mean SUS score was 75 (IQR 72.5-87.5). Healthcare professionals gave higher grades to all five domains compared to IT professionals. The average time spent playing the game was 3.2 minutes. Novel technologies have shown promising results for CPR teaching using active teaching methods, but face challenges in developing countries, such as language barriers, device acquisition, cultural differences, and technical support. To our knowledge, this is the first SG developed in portuguese for brazilian schoolchidren. Despite some usability issues, the SG Children Save Hearts is considered adequate for teaching CPR to schoolchildren in Brazil.

Sleep games are an emerging topic in the realm of serious health game research. However, designing features that are both enjoyable and effective at engaging users, particularly university students, to develop healthy sleep habits remains a challenge.

Video-based error-correction (VBEC) in medical education could offer immediate feedback, promote enhanced learning retention, and foster reflective practice, its application in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training has not been investigated.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is prevalently causing significant pain, activity limitations, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life. Despite lower limb strength training being a core treatment for knee OA, adherence remains a challenge, prompting the exploration of virtual reality (VR) to improve exercise compliance. Recent research suggests the potential of VR in providing enhanced pain management and functional outcomes for knee OA, necessitating further exploration of immersive VR technology.

Medical non-adherence is a significant problem associated with worse clinical outcomes, higher downstream re-hospitalization rates and a higher use of resources. To improve medication adherence, it is vital for researchers and practitioners to have a solid theoretical understanding of what interventions are likely to work. To achieve this understanding, we propose that researchers should focus on creating small scale laboratory analogues to the larger real-world setting, and determine what interventions, such as nudges or incentives, work to change behaviour in the lab. To do this we took inspiration from the literature on serious games and gamification and experimental economics. We call our approach “Gamified Behavioural Simulation.” In this paper we modelled everyday life as the state of being engaged in a simple but addictive game, illness as being interruptions to the functionality of that game, treatment as being a serious of actions that can be taken to prevent or mitigate those interruptions, and adherence as sticking to a prescribed rule for the application of those actions.

Children diagnosed with cancer can be subjected to undergo radiotherapy. Children and their families have described that the treatment induces feelings of fear and anxiety. Therefore, a web-based serious game was developed as a psychological preparation for children who are going to undergo radiotherapy. In an earlier stage, children with experience of radiotherapy had been part of the developmental process.

The video game industry has introduced a new form of monetization through microtransactions. A controversial example has been the so called `loot-boxes´ as virtual objects, which are randomized and bought with legal money. In recent years, LBs have come to connect two distinct problem behaviors, namely Internet Gaming Disorder and Online Gambling Disorder. Many association studies have been conducted between the three constructs, but few have delved into the relationship of problematic use of loot boxes with Internet Gaming Disorder and Online Gambling Disorder

Adolescent internet gaming disorder (IGD) was associated with severe harm, including suicidal ideation. While suicidal ideation was predictive of completed suicides, further research is required to clarify the association between IGD and suicidal ideation among adolescents, as well as the mechanisms involved.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2023, Apple introduced the Vision Pro. The Apple Vision Pro (AVP) is a mixed reality headset; more specifically, it is a virtual reality device with an additional video see-through capability. The video see-through capability turns the AVP into an augmented reality (AR) device. The AR feature is enabled by streaming the real world via cameras on the (virtual reality) screens in front of the user’s eyes. This is, of course, not unique and is similar to other devices, such as the Varjo XR-3 (Varjo Technologies Oy). Nevertheless, the AVP has some interesting features, such as an inside-out screen that can show the headset wearer’s eyes to “outsiders,” and a button on the top, called the “digital crown,” that allows a seamless blend of digital content with the user’s physical space by turning it. In addition, it is untethered, except for the cable to the battery, which makes the headset more agile, compared to the Varjo XR-3. This could actually come closer to “The Ultimate Display,” which Ivan Sutherland had already sketched in 1965. After a great response from the media and social networks to the release, we were able to test and review the new AVP ourselves in March 2024. Including an expert survey with 13 of our colleagues after testing the AVP in our institute, this Viewpoint explores whether the AVP can overcome clinical challenges that AR especially still faces in the medical domain; we also go beyond this and discuss whether the AVP could support clinicians in essential tasks to allow them to spend more time with their patients.

Among the older population, Parkinson disease (PD) stands out as a leading contributor to disability. Clinically, the foremost objectives in managing PD involve proactively delaying and preventing disability. Understanding the pivotal role of gait and balance in daily functionality holds substantial clinical significance, signaling imminent disability and prompting a reevaluation of management approaches. A key priority lies in identifying novel and effective interventions for symptoms that substantially contribute to disability.

Children with disabilities face numerous challenges in accessing health services. Mobile health is an emerging field that could significantly reduce health inequities by providing more accessible services. Many mobile apps incorporate gamification elements such as feedback, points, and stories to increase engagement and motivation; however, little is known about how gamification has been incorporated in mobile apps for children with disabilities.