Interactive Games to Promote Behavior Change in Prevention and Treatment - — JAMA

Commentary
ONLINE FIRST

JAMA. Published online March 29, 2011. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.408
Interactive Games to Promote Behavior Change in Prevention and Treatment
J. Leighton Read, MD; Stephen M. Shortell, PhD, MBA, MPH

[+] Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Alloy Ventures and Seriosity Inc, Palo Alto, California (Dr Read); and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley (Dr Shortell).


Corresponding Author: J. Leighton Read, MD, Alloy Ventures, 400 Hamilton Ave, Ste 400, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (leighton@alloyventures.com).

KEYWORDS: ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR, BEHAVIOR, CHILDREN'S HEALTH, HEALTH EDUCATION, INTERACTIVE TUTORIAL, INTERNET, VIDEO GAMES.


Anyone who has observed someone deeply absorbed in a video game can appreciate that use of these games is a uniquely powerful interaction. For the player, time stands still and self-consciousness disappears. Csikszentmihalyi described this state as “flow.”1​ His concept was exemplified by mountain climbers living in the moment of ascent or surgeons lost in a delicate and demanding task. He could just as well have been describing what happens when individuals engage with some of today's interactive games.

Games are now a dominant form of media, even larger than the motion picture industry, and are enjoyed across gender, age, and cultural boundaries. Zynga Inc, a Facebook game developer, claims 215 million players worldwide among that social Web site's half-billion users.2 Games targeting healthy behaviors are also proliferating. For example, Web-based games offered by Humana, the large insurance company, are based on conventional objectives for diet and exercise. Other games are appearing on consoles, mobile phones, and less traditional platforms including toys, robots, and medical devices.

Such games deserve serious attention, because clinicians and policy makers will be confronted with decisions regarding their use. There is great promise in channeling these hours of engagement to address some of the most difficult and persistent challenges involving diet, exercise, and adherence to therapy. Sufficiently engaging games might enhance the effectiveness of health messaging, allowing individuals to practice useful thought patterns and behaviors and encouraging them to explore and learn from failure in safe virtual environments.

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Interactive Games to Promote Behavior Change in Prevention and Treatment - — JAMA