ReviewGames for health journal2015
Cultivating Engagement and Enjoyment in Exergames Using Feedback, Challenge, and Rewards.
Review in Games for health journal, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of exercise interventions on executive function in autism spectrum disorder: a three-level meta-analytic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of physical activity interventions on cognitive functions in children and adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- Digital interactive experience- and game-based fall interventions for community-dwelling healthy older adults: a cross-disciplinary systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- The role of motivation factors in exergame interventions for fall prevention in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Pooled it
- Is Participatory Design Associated with the Effectiveness of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion? A Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2016Pooled it
- Impact of virtual reality versus conventional balance training on balance function and fear of falling in older adults: a single blinded, randomized controlled trial.European geriatric medicine · 2026Trial
- Does Dynamic Tailoring of A Narrative-Driven Exergame Result in Higher User Engagement among Adolescents? Results from A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Does a novel exergame challenge balance and activate muscles more than existing off-the-shelf exergames?Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Effects and Moderators of Exergaming on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR serious games · 2026Review
- Nintendo Switch-Based Exergaming for Subthreshold Depression: Mixed Methods Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- The Impact of Actigaming on Emotional Attentional Biases in College Students: An Exploratory Crossover Trial.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Exploring Mixed-Reality Exergames for Sports Rehabilitation: Design Insights and Evaluation Findings.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Game Changer: Unveiling the Significance of Game Design Elements as Encouragement Strategies during Maximal Exercise Testing.Sports medicine - open · 2025Article
- Effects of physical activity interventions on fundamental movement skills and cognitive function in early childhood: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Review
- Virtual Reality Exercise with Autonomy Support Increases Positive Affect During Time Trial Exercise.Games for health journal · 2025Article
- Decoding user experience in exergames: A systematic scoping review of assessment methods.MethodsX · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of Mobile Health-Based Gamification Interventions for Improving Physical Activity in Individuals With Cardiovascular Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR serious games · 2025Review
- Effectiveness, enjoyment, and meaningfulness of a virtual reality gait-based fall prevention exergame in community-dwelling healthy older adults: an interdisciplinary pilot study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- A video-game-based method to induce states of high and low flow.Behavior research methods · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis article reviews theoretical and empirical evidence related to three mechanisms for encouraging enjoyment during exergame play: Feedback, challenge, and rewards. MATERIALS AND
methodsA literature search and narrative review were conducted.
resultsFeedback is found in nearly all exergames, and richer, more in-depth feedback is associated with increased activity. Challenge is a vital component of any videogame, and exergames include physical as well as cognitive challenges. Flow states have traditionally been conceptualized as occurring when an optimal match between player skills and game challenge occurs. However, failure and retrial are necessary for feelings of overall satisfaction and fun, despite not necessarily being ideally fun or satisfying themselves. Rewards are a more complicated issue, with significant theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting positive and negative effects of reward systems. How rewards are integrated into the mechanics and storyline of the game likely impacts how they are perceived and, thus, their effectiveness. Finally, integration of these mechanisms into exergames requires specific attention to both cognitive and physical implementations. Movements that are not themselves enjoyable or engaging may lead to cheating and lower energy expenditure.
conclusionsFeedback, challenge, and rewards are promising mechanisms by which exergames could become more enjoyable. How these concepts are operationalized can affect physical and psychological reactions to exergames. Attention to these concepts in future exergame development and implementation would benefit theory, research, and practice.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.