ReviewFrontiers in psychology2020
Recommendations for Implementing Gamification for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Review in Frontiers in psychology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Ethics of Gamification in Health and Fitness-Tracking.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- An App-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program Tailored for College Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Trial
- A randomized pilot study of Rhythms And You (RAY): An internet-based program for bipolar disorder administered with and without clinical helper support in primary care.Journal of affective disorders · 2021Trial
- Is Gamification the New Panacea for Health Behavioral Changes? Implications for the Health and Life Insurance Industry.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Article
- Persuasive Gamified Virtual Reality Experience to Enhance Engagement and Focus in Young Adults With Mild Anxiety Symptoms: Randomized Pilot Experimental Study.JMIR XR and spatial computing · 2026Article
- From Assessment to Intervention: Leveraging Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to Develop a Personalized mobile-health (mHealth) Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) for Young Adults With ADHD and High-Risk Alcohol Use.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2026Article
- My Cosmos: development, clinical protocol, and preliminary usability of a gamified transdiagnostic digital CBT platform.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Efficacy of gamified digital health interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Review
- Therapy Companion Mobile App for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Exercises (ACTaide): Therapist and Client Co-Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Impact of family-oriented gamification on self-management of people with multiple sclerosis: a mixed-methods study protocol.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Gamification in education-teachers' perspectives through the lens of the theory of planned behavior.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Perceived Barriers and Facilitators Regarding the Implementation of Gamification to Promote Physical Activity in the Neighborhood: Interview Study Among Intermediaries.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- RETRACTED: Gamification for Mental Health and Health Psychology: Insights at the First Quarter Mark of the 21st Century.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- An Escape Game on University Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cocreation Study.JMIR serious games · 2024Article
- Engagement challenges in digital mental health programs: hybrid approaches and user retention of an online self-knowledge journey in Brazil.Frontiers in digital health · 2024Article
- The Use of Gamification in the Self-Management of Patients With Chronic Diseases: Scoping Review.JMIR serious games · 2023Article
- The role of gamification in digital mental health.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2023Article
- Motivation crowding effects on the intention for continued use of gamified fitness apps: a mixed-methods approach.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Improving mental well-being in psychocardiology-a feasibility trial for a non-blended web application as a brief metacognitive-based intervention in cardiovascular disease patients.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
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
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Gamification is increasingly being proposed as a strategy to increase engagement for mental health and wellbeing technologies. However, its implementation has been criticized as atheoretical, particularly in relation to behavior change theory and game studies theories. Definitions of the term "gamification" vary, sometimes widely, between and within academic fields and the effectiveness of gamification is yet to be empirically established. Despite this, enthusiasm for developing gamified mental health technologies, such as interventions, continues to grow. There is a need to examine how best to implement gamification in mental health and wellbeing technologies in a way that takes quick production cycles into account while still emphasizing empirical investigation and building a rigorous evidence base. With reference to game studies and the medical (eHealth/mHealth) literature, this article interrogates gamification for mental health and wellbeing by examining core properties of the game form. It then explores how gamification can best be conceptualized and implemented for mental health and wellbeing goals from conceptualization through to iterative co-development and evaluation that accommodates software development schedules. Finally, it summarizes its conceptual analysis into recommendations for researchers and designers looking to do so. These recommendations are: (1) assess suitability, (2) implement to support, (3) assess acceptability, (4) evaluate impact, and (5) document comprehensively. These recommendations aim to encourage clear language, unified terminology, the application and evaluation of theory, comprehensive and constant documentation, and transparent evaluation of 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.