SynthesisFrontiers in public health2023
The impact of Exergames on emotional experience: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 4 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
28 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effects of Exergaming on the Depressive Symptoms of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical nursing · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Non-Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Applied in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Pooled it
- Escaping through virtual gaming-what is the association with emotional, social, and mental health? A systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Technology-based physical activities and adults' physical activity levels, mental health, life satisfaction, and happiness: a mixed methods study.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Structural brain improvements following individually tailored serious exergame-based training in mild neurocognitive disorders: exploratory randomized controlled trial.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2025Trial
- Effects of Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Exercise on Self-Reported Pain and Mechanical Hyperalgesia in Older Adults with Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Trial
- Active Video Gaming Intervention in Adults With Mobility Impairments: Concurrent Mixed Methods Single-Arm Pilot Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Exergaming for Healthy Aging: Associations with Functional Capacity, Social Participation, Self-Efficacy for Exercise, and Adherence to Inform Exergame Development.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of Commercial Exergames vs. Traditional Indoor Exercise on Mood in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exergame enjoyment using various devices and awareness of their use for physical activity and health improvement among young adults.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The Effects of Dance-Based Exergaming on Mental Rotation, General Motor Coordination, and Math Achievement in Adolescent Students: Nonrandomized Controlled Pilot Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Effectiveness, acceptability, adherence, and safety of exergaming for depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- The Impact of Actigaming on Emotional Attentional Biases in College Students: An Exploratory Crossover Trial.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Association Between Weekly Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Emotional Intelligence Factors in Spanish Adolescents: Perspectives for Digital and Gamified Interventions.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- Comparative changes in problematic smartphone use tendencies across four active exercise modalities among college students: an exploratory multicategorical relative indirect-effect analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Effects of Exergames on Motor Skills, Psychological Well-Being, and Cognitive Abilities in Schoolchildren and Adolescents: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- Article
- Decoding user experience in exergames: A systematic scoping review of assessment methods.MethodsX · 2025Review
- Domain-Specific Evaluation of Exergame Metrics Among Older Adults With Mild Neurocognitive Disorder: Secondary Analysis of 2 Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Gamification has proven to be a significant tool for health promotion, with a particular focus on physical activities such as Exergames, which improve not only physical, but also cognitive health. However, it is still not clear what effect the practice of Exergames has on changing the emotional experience. Purpose: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the impact of Exergames training on emotional experience. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases. The relevant articles were screened independently by three researchers. Data concerning emotional measures and Exergame practice were extracted for analysis. Results: The search yielded 38 articles, of which 16 were included. Exergames were found to significantly impact happiness, anxiety, depressive symptoms, mental health-related quality of life, self-worth, self-esteem, self-efficacy, perceived behavioral control, vigor, vitality, intrinsic motivation, perceived energy, and relaxation. Conclusion: Our review supports the evidence that the practice of physical activity through Exergames, on the emotional experience generally generates an increase in positive emotions. In this sense, the results found support both the use of Exergames as a leisure activity that promotes wellbeing and emotional regulation, as well as for health promotion, public health, and clinical practice purposes. Our review strongly supports the notion that engaging in physical activity through Exergames generally leads to an increase in positive emotions. As a result, these findings endorse the utilization of Exergames as a leisure activity to promote well-being and emotional regulation. Moreover, Exergames hold potential for health promotion, public health, and clinical practice purposes.
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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.