ReviewJournal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineering
The use and effect of video game design theory in the creation of game-based systems for upper limb stroke rehabilitation.
Review in Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineering. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Hardware and software design trends and considerations in gamified stroke rehabilitation: Results from a systematic review.Medical & biological engineering & computing · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Using Virtual Reality-Supported Exercise Therapy for Upper Extremity Motor Rehabilitation in Patients With Stroke: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Exercising with Baxter: preliminary support for assistive social-physical human-robot interaction.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2020Trial
- Effectiveness of virtual reality-based rehabilitation on quality of life and upper extremity functions among stroke survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Review
- A Therapist-Configurable Serious Game System for Upper-Limb Neurorehabilitation: A Pilot Feasibility Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of intelligent robotic-assisted training system combined with repetitive facilitative exercise on upper limb motor function after stroke: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Experience of Virtual Help in a Simulated BCI Stroke Rehabilitation Serious Game and How to Measure It.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Behavior Change Approaches in Digital Technology-Based Physical Rehabilitation Interventions Following Stroke: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Article
- An analysis of clinical outcomes and essential parameters for designing effective games for upper limb rehabilitation: A scoping review.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Active Virtual Reality for Chronic Primary Pain: Mixed Methods Randomized Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Adversarial Autoencoder and Multi-Armed Bandit for Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment in Immersive Virtual Reality for Rehabilitation: Application to Hand Movement.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Article
- A Serious Game for Performing Task-Oriented Cervical Exercises Among Older Adult Patients With Chronic Neck Pain: Development, Suitability, and Crossover Pilot Study.JMIR serious games · 2022Article
- Immersive virtual reality health games: a narrative review of game design.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2021Review
- Serious Games for Stroke Telerehabilitation of Upper Limb - A Review for Future Research.International journal of telerehabilitation · 2020Article
- A Review of Exercise-Induced Neuroplasticity in Ischemic Stroke: Pathology and Mechanisms.Molecular neurobiology · 2020Review
- A real-time algorithm for the detection of compensatory movements during reaching.Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Upper limb exercise is often neglected during post-stroke rehabilitation. Video games have been shown to be useful in providing environments in which patients can practise repetitive, functionally meaningful movements, and in inducing neuroplasticity. The design of video games is often focused upon a number of fundamental principles, such as reward, goals, challenge and the concept of meaningful play, and these same principles are important in the design of games for rehabilitation. Further to this, there have been several attempts for the strengthening of the relationship between commercial game design and rehabilitative game design, the former providing insight into factors that can increase motivation and engagement with the latter. In this article, we present an overview of various game design principles and the theoretical grounding behind their presence, in addition to attempts made to utilise these principles in the creation of upper limb stroke rehabilitation systems and the outcomes of their use. We also present research aiming to move the collaborative efforts of designers and therapists towards a model for the structured design of these games and the various steps taken concerning the theoretical classification and mapping of game design concepts with intended cognitive and motor outcomes.
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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.