ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2018
Investigating the Direct Impact of a Gamified Versus Nongamified Well-Being Intervention: An Exploratory Experiment.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Gamified Health Promotion in Schools: The Integration of Neuropsychological Aspects and CBT-A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Pooled it
- Conceptual Ambiguity Surrounding Gamification and Serious Games in Health Care: Literature Review and Development of Game-Based Intervention Reporting Guidelines (GAMING).Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Game-Based Dual-Task Exercise Program for Children with Cerebral Palsy: Blending Balance, Visuomotor and Cognitive Training: Feasibility Randomized Control Trial.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Trial
- Facilitator Contact, Discussion Boards, and Virtual Badges as Adherence Enhancements to a Web-Based, Self-guided, Positive Psychological Intervention for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Preferences of patients with depression for exercises: a discrete choice experiment.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The DID-guide: A guide to developing digital mental health interventions.Internet interventions · 2025Review
- The conceptualisation and measurement of engagement in digital health.Internet interventions · 2024Article
- Promoting Physical and Mental Health among Children and Adolescents via Gamification-A Conceptual Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Effectiveness of gamified digital interventions in mental health prevention and health promotion among adults: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Factors associated with young adult engagement with a web-based sickle cell reproductive health intervention.PEC innovation · 2022Article
- Determining Priorities in the Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative for Youth App Second Phase Participatory Design Project: Qualitative Study and Narrative Literature Review.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Gaming My Way to Recovery: A Systematic Scoping Review of Digital Game Interventions for Young People's Mental Health Treatment and Promotion.Frontiers in digital health · 2022Article
- Evaluation of a Web-Based Stress Management Program for Persons Experiencing Work-Related Stress in Sweden (My Stress Control): Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2021Article
- In Search of Digital Dopamine: How Apps Can Motivate Depressed Patients, a Review and Conceptual Analysis.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- Smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of techniques to increase engagement.NPJ digital medicine · 2021Review
- Article
- Psychometric Evaluation of the TWente Engagement with Ehealth Technologies Scale (TWEETS): Evaluation Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Feasibility of Self-Monitoring Rheumatoid Arthritis With a Smartphone App: Results of Two Mixed-Methods Pilot Studies.JMIR formative research · 2020Article
- Mental Health Therapy Protocols and eHealth Design: Focus Group Study.JMIR formative research · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGamification is a promising strategy to increase the effectiveness of Web-based mental health interventions by enhancing engagement. However, because most studies focus on the longer term effects of gamification (eg, effectiveness or adherence at the end of the intervention period), there is limited insight into how gamification may enhance engagement. Research implies that gamification has a direct impact at the time of use of the intervention, which changes the experience of the users, and thereby motivates users. However, it is unclear what this direct impact of gamification might be and how it can be measured.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to explore the direct impact of gamification on behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement in the context of a Web-based mental health intervention and to explore whether and how the different components of engagement are related.
methodsA pilot (n=19) and a real-life (n=75) randomized between-groups experiment was carried out, where participants used a gamified or nongamified version of the same Web-based well-being intervention for a single session. Participants (68%, 64/94 female, mean age 23 years) were asked to use the intervention in one session for research purposes. Gamification elements included a map as visualization of the different lessons, a virtual guide, and badges. Later, behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement were measured.
resultsThe pilot experiment showed no differences between the gamified and nongamified intervention. However, in the real-life experiment, participants in the gamified intervention scored higher on cognitive engagement, that is, involvement (P=.02) and some elements of affective engagement, that is, flow as a combination of cognitive and affective engagement (P=.049), and the emotions "interest" (P=.03) and "inspiration" (P=.009). Furthermore, the effect of gamification on cognitive engagement was mediated by the influence of gamification on specific positive emotions.
conclusionsThe gamified intervention seemed to be able to increase cognitive engagement and the combination of cognitive and affective engagement but not behavioral and affective engagement alone. However, positive emotions seem to play an important role in mediating the effect of gamification on engagement. In conclusion, we cannot say that gamification "works" but that the design of an intervention, in this case, gamification, can have an impact on how participants experience the intervention.
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