The DOI matches its Crossref record; 130 of the 143 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 36 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion
Open accessAbstract
Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further exploration of which game features create larger effects are needed.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This first meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion found small positive effects on behavior and its determinants and very small effects on clinical outcomes. Effects were largest for knowledge, maintained at follow-up except for behavior, and moderated by tailoring and theoretical basis.
Key findings
- Across 54 papers and 61 game evaluations, serious games improved healthy lifestyle behavior (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148–0.373, n=314,790, k=21) and behavioral determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260–0.407, n=19,934, k=50); clinical outcomes had a very small significant effect (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038–0.120, n=9,367, k=10).
- At second post-test, behavior effects were smaller and failed to reach significance (p=.07), while determinants and clinical outcomes remained significant and of similar magnitude; knowledge had the largest determinant effects and approximated a moderate effect at follow-up.
- Tailoring was a significant moderator only for determinants: games tailored to both socio-demographic and change-need information had higher effects than games tailored only to change needs/stages of adoption. A dual theoretical foundation in game-based learning and behavioral prediction theories related to higher determinant effects than behavioral prediction theories alone.
- Implementation method, age, gender, and study quality were not significant moderators. Heterogeneity was high for behavior and determinants, and publication bias could not be ruled out for determinants (Egger’s test t(48)=6.042, p<.001; trim-and-fill adjusted g=0.179, 95% CI 0.104–0.254).
Methods
- Systematic search of Pubmed, Web of Science, Cinahl, and PsycInfo through July 2013, plus hand-searching and author contact; 7,192 hits yielded 54 included papers, assessing 52 games in 61 evaluations.
- Random-effects Hedges’ g was used, with mixed-effects moderator analyses, Cochran’s Q and I² for heterogeneity, meta-regression for continuous moderators, and sensitivity analyses for outliers, pre-test–post-test correlations, and publication bias.
- Primary outcomes were behavior, knowledge, behavioral intentions, perceived barriers, skills, attitudes, subjective norm, and self-efficacy; clinical outcomes were secondary. Study quality was assessed with EPHPP; interrater reliability was ICC=0.90 for coding and ICC=0.98 for quality.
Limitations
- Stated: “no evidence for an effect” does not equal “evidence for no effect”; some analyses were likely underpowered (e.g., mental health, social behavior, clinical outcomes). Other factors such as game features were not included and may explain heterogeneity. Publication bias is a concern, and analyses were limited by information available in manuscripts and from researchers. The review included various health behaviors that may be difficult to compare.
- Evident from the text: heterogeneity was high for behavior and determinants; some moderator categories had fewer than 3 studies and were not analyzed (e.g., tailoring by socio-demographic information only); only one game for the elderly was included, and subjective norms were measured in only one study.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
0 of 36 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This was, however, the opposite at second post-test: here the greater the time elapsed until post-test measurement, the smaller the effect size for behavior”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There were no significant differences in average effect size on behavior nor on its determinants or clinical outcome by health domain.”
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
“No significant heterogeneity was observed between games’ effects in different health domains.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge.”
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
“For behavioral determinants, average effect size was similarly small (g=0.334 (95% CI 0.260; 0.407), n=19934, k=50)”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“improved antecedents that determine adoption (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407)”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Abstract
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The elapsed time between the last time the game was played and when the outcome was measured, was a significant moderator in the games’ effects, but only for behavior. More specifically, the greater the amount of time between the last game play and first post-test for behavior, the larger the effect size (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This inverse relation between time and effect was also true for behavioral determinants (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“None of the other study characteristics were significant moderators in the average effects on behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavioral determinants, games tailored only by change needs or stages of adoption had a lower effect size than games which were not tailored or tailored to both socio-demographics and change needs.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Implementation method was not a significant moderator of game effectiveness for either behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavior, games evaluated in a post-test only control groups design had a lower average effect size (borderline significant) than games evaluated in other study designs (Table 5).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In our review, effects on self-efficacy were unexpectedly small.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
- It may state two separate claims as one. 24
- Probably not a substantial claim. 19
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Using Duval’s and Tweedie’s Trim and Fill approach to impute missing studies to the left of the mean, adjusted average g for behavioral determinants was reduced to g=0.179 (95% CI 0.104; 0.254) but remained significant.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Among specific behavioral determinants, the largest effects were found for improvement in knowledge and attitudes; however, all effect sizes were small.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The type of theoretical foundation significantly affected effectiveness for behavioral determinants, but not for behavior or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Neither the average age of participants nor the percentage of women in the sample was a significant moderator on game effectiveness on behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (note: only one game for the elderly was included) (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Funnel plot and Egger’s Test (t(48)=6.042, p<.001) indicated publication bias could not be ruled out for effects on behavioral determinants with a tendency for smaller published studies to report higher effect sizes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Individual tailoring was only a significant moderator for the effects on behavioral determinants, but not for behavior or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Both forms of implementation had significant average effect sizes for behavioral determinants and clinical outcomes. Average effects on behavior of stand-alone games however showed only a trend to significance.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Games based purely on behavioral prediction theories had the lowest average effect size. Their effects were however still significant (Table 6).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The quality of the study did not significantly affect the effectiveness for behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For effects on behavior (t(19)=1.51, p=0.07) and on clinical outcomes (t(8)=0.762, p=0.233), Egger’s Test on publication bias was not significant.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was high heterogeneity between games’ effects for behavior and behavioral determinants, both at first post-test and at follow-up test, but not for clinical outcomes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavioral determinants and clinical outcomes, average effect size at second post-test measurement was significant and of similar magnitude as at first post-measurement (Table 3).”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Average effect size for behavior at second post-test measurement was smaller than at first post-intervention measurement and failed to reach significance (p=.07).”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Although effects at follow-up measurement were significant and positive for most outcomes, they were smaller than at the immediate post-measurement, and failed to reach significance for behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“At second post-test, average effect size remained highest for knowledge and approximated a moderate effect size, but average effects were smaller for other behavioral determinants compared to first post-measurement (with the exception of subjective norms, measured in only one study) (Table 4).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As yet, no meta-analysis of serious games for healthy lifestyle promotion has been reported.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Introduction
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Often game studies briefly mentioned which theoretical foundation was used, but not how theoretical techniques were applied to address the target outcome.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“They were effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component program”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Conclusions
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“suggesting a curvilinear relation, in which a minimal time is needed to practice the behavior at first post-test to have effects, but where a longer follow-up time showed smaller effects on behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“as was the case for self-efficacy, which is another determinant with a strong association with behavior change (Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, & Fernàndez 2011).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, & Fernàndez 2011
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Games are thought to provide a good medium for increasing self-efficacy as they offer the opportunity for enactive experience in a safe environment, without real-life consequences to making wrong decisions (Peng 2008;Prensky 2007).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Peng 2008 source
- Not checked yetcites Prensky 2007
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Many other game characteristics (e.g. use of a narrative, challenge in the game, co-design, scaffolding levels) (Kapp 2012;Lu, Baranowski, Thompson, & Buday 2012) may influence game effectiveness and may be applied differently in stand-alone or multi-component games.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Kapp 2012
- Not checked yetcites Lu, Baranowski, Thompson, & Buday 2012
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Other studies have indeed reported that the terminology of theories is not used in a consistent manner across interventions and that one term may be used to represent different techniques, as well as that different labels may be used for the same technique (Michie et al. 2011a).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Michie et al. 2011a
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Interpretation and application of theories may therefore have been different across game studies.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It appeared insufficient to tailor games only to behavioral change needs, instead games are best tailored by both socio-demographic information (e.g. age, gender, body frame) and behavioral change needs (e.g. current level of lifestyle adoption, already acquired knowledge, stages of change, or motivation).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“For one study (Jantz et al. 2002) the effect size of one outcome exceeded the outlier threshold; this outcome was hence removed from the analyses.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Jantz et al. 2002 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“For computer-tailored interventions, the use of self-regulation theories has been recommended to improve effectiveness (Lustria, Cortese, Noar, & Glueckauf 2009).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Lustria, Cortese, Noar, & Glueckauf 2009 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Methods used in non-game healthy lifestyle interventions to maintain a long-term effect on behavior were providing reinforcement throughout follow-up, having booster sessions, sending tailored reminders, using self-regulation and anticipatory coping techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“For games, dynamic tailoring has been recommended based on the difficulty level the player can master (e.g. via providing hints when the challenge is too hard), to ensure flow and to provide all players with an optimal level of challenge (Charles et al. 2005;Wilson et al. 2009).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Charles et al. 2005
- Not checked yetcites Wilson et al. 2009 source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“while leisure games are played 7 hours per week on average (Boyle, Connolly, Hainey, & Boyle 2012).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Boyle, Connolly, Hainey, & Boyle 2012
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These were coded separately in our meta-analyses, singling out effect of intervention duration versus duration until measurement.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“They reported that interventions lasting fewer than 12 weeks more often achieved their objectives than interventions lasting longer.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Primack, Carroll, McNamara, Klem, King, Rich, Chan, & Nayak 2012
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Decreasing risky behavior may be harder to achieve than increasing health-promoting behavior (Adriaanse et al. 2011).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Adriaanse et al. 2011 source
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Our meta-analysis did not distinguish between reducing unhealthy behavior or increasing healthy actions.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These features were not included here.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Lastly, this review included various types of health behaviors, which may be difficult to compare.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Third, publication bias is always a concern: reported effect sizes may be overestimated (e.g. behavioral determinants).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The analyses were furthermore limited by the information available in the manuscripts and that additionally obtained from the researchers.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The authors state this as an assumption.
The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
“pre-test-post-test correlations set lower (0.20) and higher (0.80) than the standard assumption of 0.50”
The paper relies on this without support.
The theoretical foundation categories coded from the primary studies accurately represent the theories actually used in those games.
“Often game studies briefly mentioned which theoretical foundation was used, but not how theoretical techniques were applied to address the target outcome.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The most comparable serious games for health meta-analysis in terms of inclusion and exclusion criteria is DeSmet et al. (2014), which found 53 studies published between 1989 and 2013 (avg. 2 studies/year).”
From Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature (2016) · cites this paper as DeSmet et al. (2014)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Although the scientific evaluation of serious games precludes making conclusive statements about their impact on “real-world” behaviors, several controlled trials of serious games have shown to affect these behaviors in diverse patient groups [42].”
In the citing paper
“A zeitgeist has emerged in the medical and educational fields for applied or “serious” games as tools for enhancing medical care [58-61].”
From Use of the Principles of Design Thinking to Address Limitations of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Youth: Viewpoint (2019) · cites this paper as [59]
Statistics recomputed
Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.
- Not confirmedt(19) = 1.51reported p = .07 · recomputed p = .147
“t(19)=1.51, p = .07”
- Not confirmedt(8) = 0.762reported p = .233 · recomputed p = .468
“t(8)=0.762, p = .233”
- Consistentt(48) = 6.042reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001
“t(48)=6.042, p < .001”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Clinical-outcome confidence interval has two lower bounds
MinorThe abstract gives the lower bound of the first-post-test clinical-outcome confidence interval as 0.038, while the Results give it as 0.039 for the same effect estimate.
“Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120).”
“the average effect size on clinical outcomes was very small, but significant (g=0.079 (95% CI 0.039; 0.120), n=9367, k=10)”
Citations
Cites
Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
Muller, K. E., & Cohen, J. (1989) · Technometrics · doi:10.2307/1270020 · Cited by 99,603
Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
Cohen, J. (1990) · Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi:10.1016/0198-9715(90)90050-4 · Cited by 65,417
Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses
Higgins, J. P. T., Thompson, S. G., Deeks, J. J., & Altman, D. G. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.557 · Cited by 63,139
Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42 · Cited by 13,697 · cited 2×
“Other studies have indeed reported that the terminology of theories is not used in a consistent manner across interventions and that one term may be used to represent different techniques, as well as that different labels may be used for the same technique (Michie et al., 2011a).”
BackgroundMethodBorenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021) · doi:10.1002/9781119558378 · Cited by 9,799
Foundations of Clinical Research: Applications to Practice,
(2002) · Survey of Ophthalmology · doi:10.1016/s0039-6257(02)00362-4 · Cited by 9,494
Distribution Theory for Glass's Estimator of Effect Size and Related Estimators
Hedges, L. V. (1981) · Journal of Educational Statistics · doi:10.2307/1164588 · Cited by 5,695 · cited 1×
“Random-effects Hedges' g was applied to indicate effect size, correcting for small sample sizes (Hedges, 1981).”
MethodLopez, A. D., Mathers, C. D., Ezzati, M., Jamison, D. T., & Murray, C. J. (2006) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68770-9 · Cited by 5,630 · cited 1×
“…lifestyles comprise an array of potentially modifiable behaviors that can prevent a wide range of diseases, such as some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, dementia, mental illness, and diabetes (Fratiglioni et al., 2004; Kim et al., 2012; Lopez et al., 2006; Peel et al., 2005).”
BackgroundKapp, K. M. (2012) · Cited by 3,753
How should meta‐regression analyses be undertaken and interpreted?
Thompson, S. G., & Higgins, J. P. T. (2002) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.1187 · Cited by 3,026 · cited 1×
“Meta-regression (methods-of-moments procedure) was performed for continuous moderators (Thompson and Higgins, 2002), where the slope ( β ) and its p-value indicated the importance of this moderator in understanding linear changes in effect sizes.”
Method
Flagged first, then by citations
13 of the 143 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–400 of 428
Nielsen, M. R., Mulder, M. B., Skjærvø, G. R., Klöckner, C. A., Moe, E., Meilby, H., Hartsteen, H. P., & GRAAE, B. J. (2025) · Frontiers in Conservation Science · doi:10.3389/fcosc.2025.1604967 · Cited by 1
“Similarly, the extent to which games contribute to real-world outcomes is still debated (DeSmet et al., 2014; van der Kooij et al., 2015; Douglas and Brauer, 2021), with few studies evaluating the effects on knowledge acquired or behavioural change (e.g. Dunn et al., 2021; Tsai et al., 2021,…”
Leveraging Serious Play to Foster Learning and Action on Sustainable Development Goals
de Lima, L. G. P., Fujie, R. Y., Pinto, V. B., et al. (2025) · doi:10.1109/segah65397.2025.11168285 · Cited by 1
“For instance, DeSmet et al. [23] conducted a meta-analysis demonstrating that digital games can effectively promote healthy lifestyles, an outcome that aligns with broader SDG goals related to health and well-being.”
The Mechanism and Design Principles of Serious Games in Enhancing Adolescents’ Internet Adaptability
Gao, S., Jia, M., Wang, W., Hu, J., & Ma, S.-H. (2026) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/82505 · Cited by 2
“Some studies report limited behavioral change or real-world transfer, including health behavior [61], safety knowledge [62], and cognitive or metacognitive skills [63].”
Karvánková, P., Blažek, V., Staněk, M., et al. (2026) · International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education · doi:10.1080/10382046.2026.2646158 · Cited by 1
The Serious Games Ecosystem: Interdisciplinary and Intercontextual Praxis
Wilkinson, P. N., & Matthews, T. J. (2016) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46152-6_4 · Cited by 1
“Furthermore, several meta-analyses demonstrated a range of mostly positive results in regards to efficacy in the fields of exercise [183], promoting healthy lifestyles [184], and diabetes self-management [185].”
Promoting Healthy Adolescent Lifestyles Through Serious Games: Enacting a Multidisciplinary Approach
Dunwell, I., Condon, L. A., Bul, K., Lang, A. R., Atkinson, S., Coulson, N., & Collins, E. I. M. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-51645-5_15 · Cited by 1
Mogu li videoigre osnažiti kognitivne sposobnosti?
Martinčević, M., & Vranić, A. (2019) · Psihologijske teme · doi:10.31820/pt.28.3.3 · Cited by 2
Cichon, T., Lasser, B., Dunseith, N., Sas, A., Baer, H., Bylina, H., & Long, M. (2018) · Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning & Community-Based Research · doi:10.56421/ujslcbr.v7i0.291 · Cited by 3
Universiti Teknologi, M. A. R. A., Zulkifli, A. F., Danis, A., et al. (2022) · Journal of Sustainability Science and Management · doi:10.46754/jssm.2022.12.013 · Cited by 1
Suherman, A., Rahayu, N. I., Jajat, J., & Muktiarni, M. (2023) · Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology · doi:10.37934/araset.32.1.227237 · Cited by 3
Otero, P., Cotardo, T., Blanco, V., Torres, Á., Simón, M. A., Bueno, A. M., & Vázquez, F. L. (2024) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076241233139 · Cited by 1
“12 A meta-analysis that included 21 randomized controlled trials of video game-based interventions found that they produced positive effects on physical health, and improved affective status and social health, with small effect sizes (d = 0.34, d = 0.26, and d = 0.40, respectively).”
BackgroundInfluentialBases ecológicas e evolutivas do comportamento humano
Albuquerque, U. P., Valentová, J. V., & Varella, M. A. C. (2024) · doi:10.52050/9788579176555 · Cited by 1
Rosa, M., Lopes, S., Martins, N. A., & Lacomba‐Arnau, E. (2024) · SeGAH ... IEEE ... International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health/IEEE International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health · doi:10.1109/segah61285.2024.10639583 · Cited by 1
Aider les adolescents à communiquer leurs émotions à l’aide d’un care game
Bovet, É., Güsewell, A., & Stantzos, A. (2025) · Soins Psychiatrie · doi:10.1016/j.spsy.2025.02.008 · Cited by 1
Uso de las tic y neuroeducación en estudiantes universitarios
Reina, Á. R. C., & Silva, Y. E. L. (2022) · HUMAN REVIEW International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional de Humanidades · doi:10.37819/humanrev.v12i4.1065 · Cited by 1
Uso de las tic y neuroeducación en estudiantes universitarios
Reina, Á. R. C., & Silva, Y. E. L. (2022) · HUMAN REVIEW International Humanities Review / Revista Internacional de Humanidades · doi:10.37819/revhuman.v12i4.1065 · Cited by 1
Developing an interactive educational farm safety app for children in Northern Ireland
Reid, B. B., Spence, A., McGee, B., & Monson, B. (2018) · British Journal of School Nursing · doi:10.12968/bjsn.2018.13.8.381 · Cited by 1
Costa, F. B. C., Catrib, A. M. F., Branco, J. G. D. O., de Sales, R. O., da Silva, G. B., Abdon, A. P. V., & de Almeida, L. P. C. M. (2020) · Global Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/1757975920909119 · Cited by 1
“It has been observed that technological innovations have shown to be an excellent opportunity for behavioral interventions to stimulate healthy habits, which has a positive impact on the change in health-related behaviors (10,11).”
BackgroundZwischen Pathologisierung und Enhancement
Görgen, A. (2020) · Medical humanities · doi:10.14361/9783839453285-003 · Cited by 1
“…des Spiels im Sinne der primären Medikalisierung: Spiele werden als eigentlich nicht-medizinische Technologie vereinnahmt und zu Zwecken der medizinischen Edukation (DeSmet et al. 2014), Therapie (Bean 2018), Diagnostik (Kazmi et al. 2014), und/oder Forschung (Curtis 2014) angewandt.”
BackgroundAn Educational Path on Universal Design. Video Games as Learning Tools
Buratti, G., Costa, F., & Rossi, M. (2021) · Springer series in design and innovation · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65060-5_2 · Cited by 1
An Idea Generation Tool for Designing Behavior Change Games
Shanks, K. (2021) · IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE) · doi:10.1109/re51729.2021.00068 · Cited by 2
A View on the Impact of Gamified Services in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Panattil, S. J., George, A., & Joy, M. M. (2022) · Advances in business strategy and competitive advantage book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-9223-6.ch005 · Cited by 1
Understanding the Challenges of Game-Based Training
Sanchez, D. R., & Lee, C. A. (2022) · Advances in game-based learning book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-4287-6.ch027 · Cited by 1
Ritterfeld, U., Starke, A., & Mühlhaus, J. (2016) · merz | medien + erziehung · doi:10.21240/merz/2016.6.8 · Cited by 1
Using Video Games to Communicate Health Messages: The Role of Psychological Immersion
Burrows, C. N. (2015) · OpenCommons - UConn (University of Connecticut) · Cited by 1
Folkvord, F., Hage, G., & Theben, A. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.16888 · Cited by 1
Martin, A., Caon, M., Adorni, F., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.14118 · Cited by 1
Describing the Process of Adopting Nutrition and Fitness Apps: Behavior Stage Model ApproachPreprint
König, L. M., Sproesser, G., Schupp, H. T., et al. (2017) · doi:10.2196/preprints.8261 · Cited by 1
Nuijten, R. C. Y., Gorp, P. M. E. V., Khanshan, A., et al. (2021) · doi:10.2196/preprints.28801 · Cited by 1
Scholten, H., & Granic, I. (2018) · doi:10.2196/preprints.11528 · Cited by 1
(2024) · Games · doi:10.1108/978-1-80043-594-020241012 · Cited by 1
Predicting and intervening in adolescents' and students' alcohol use
Wood, L. (2014) · University of Bedfordshire Repository (University of Bedfordshire)
Keeping it real: understanding and changing health behavior in daily life
Spook, J. E. (2016) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20160318js
Sparapani, V. D. C. (2016) · Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo) · doi:10.11606/t.22.2016.tde-04032016-194703
Balli, F. (2016) · doi:10.1145/2962132.2962138
“Health games have shown promising results in increasing the adherence to therapy [2, 5, 6].”
BackgroundDassen (2018) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20180711fd
Organizational Development-Lean Thinking Through the LeanGame Learning Game
Klimoff, S., Nurminen, R., & Reunanen, T. (2018) · Advances in intelligent systems and computing · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_10
SERIOUS GAME DEVELOPMENT AND DYNAMIC TAILORING THROUGH MODEL-DRIVEN AUTHORING
Hoecke, S. V., Deglorie, G., & Samyn, K. (2018) · EDULEARN proceedings · doi:10.21125/edulearn.2018.1843
“One specific method that was proven effective in serious games is individual tailoring [4] of the game challenge that is provided to players.”
MethodBr�ll (2019) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20190206pb
Developing Pedagogical Materials on Media Policy
Poels, K. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-16065-4_37
Self-citationHISTOLOGICAL CHALLENGE - A DIGITAL BOOK THAT IS ALSO A GAME
Babo, P., Coelho, A. F., & Silva, P. (2020) · INTED proceedings · doi:10.21125/inted.2020.2246
“(“PAIR”) ARGUMENT [1-…] Correct pairs.”
BackgroundInfluentialSET-TOP BOX AND ITS PENETRATION IN THE HOME CONSOLE MARKET
Le, T., & Liang, C. (2020) · International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies · doi:10.7903/ijecs.1645
“After purchasing STB, customers and their family members/friends satisfied with the meeting/conference/connection by using STB [23].”
BackgroundManuel, M. M. J. (2020) · doi:10.26481/dis.20201012jm
Menéndez-Ferreira, R., Torregrosa, J., & Camacho, D. (2020)
10. The Present of Persuasion : Escalating Research into Persuasive Game Effects
Jacobs, R. S., & Jansz, J. (2021) · Amsterdam University Press eBooks · doi:10.5117/9789463728805_ch10 · Cited by 5
Müller, A. M., Maher, C. A., Vandelanotte, C., et al. (2017) · doi:10.2196/preprints.8954
Self-citationVugts, M. A. P., Joosen, M. C. W., Mert, A., et al. (2017) · doi:10.2196/preprints.9739
Kato-Lin, Y.-C., Kumar, U. B., Prakash, B. S., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.15717
Tuijnman, A., Kleinjan, M., Hoogendoorn, E., et al. (2018) · doi:10.2196/preprints.11255
Horsham, C., Dutton‐Regester, K., Antrobus, J., et al. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.24652
Pouls, B. P. H., Bekker, C. L., van Dulmen, S., et al. (2021) · doi:10.2196/preprints.31570
Jander, A. (2016) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20160121aj · Cited by 1
Atsma, D. E., Chavannes, N. H., & Talboom-Kamp, E. P. W. A. (2022) · Bohn Stafleu van Loghum eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-90-368-2761-4_19
Potenziale von Videospielen (Serious Games) für gesundheitliche und psychotherapeutische Maßnahmen
Ninaus, M., Greitemeyer, T., & Weiss, E. M. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-35059-8_15
Thomas, T. H., Sivakumar, V., Babichenko, D., et al. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.18687
Tan, J. W., Ng, K. B., & Mogali, S. R. (2021) · doi:10.2196/preprints.33282
“Notably, many lack clear theoretical foundations to their game’s design, a notable problem in the field especially for early serious games [44, 45], despite the dynamic and multi-faceted nature of games qualifying them as complex interventions [46, 47], and risks unclear game mechanisms, conflicting frameworks of acti…”
BackgroundHemingway, C., Baja, E. S., Dalmacion, G. V., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.13695
Atsma, D. E., Chavannes, N. H., & Talboom-Kamp, E. P. W. A. (2020) · Bohn Stafleu van Loghum eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-90-368-2324-1_18
Folkvord, F., Haga, G., & Theben, A. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.23050
Holzmann, S. L., Dischl, F., Schäfer, H., Groh, G., Hauner, H., & Holzapfel, C. (2018) · doi:10.2196/preprints.10284
Shegog, R., Armistead, L., Markham, C. M., et al. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.23088
Holzmann, S. L., Schäfer, H., Plecher, D. A., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.16216
Santana, C. C. D. A. P., Freitas, A. T. V. D. S., Barreto, G. O., et al. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.17979
Vugts, M. A. P., Zedlitz, A. M. E. E., Joosen, M. C. W., et al. (2019) · doi:10.2196/preprints.14766
Almeida, R., Jácome, C. I. O., Vieira‐Marques, P., Pereira, A. M., Sá‐Sousa, A., Amaral, R., & Fonseca, J. V. A. J. A. (2020) · IADIS International Conference on e-Health (EH) · doi:10.33965/eh2020_202009l012
“…and maintaining a person’s awareness and attention is the first step in promoting behavior change, through the addition of elements of fun together with peer support to promote behavior change (DeSmet et al. , 2014), namely on IMA (Bousquet et al. , 2017; Kosse et al. , 2017; Miller et al. , 2017).”
BackgroundLampert, C., & Tolks, D. (2022) · Springer Reference Pflege, Therapie, Gesundheit · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-62800-3_48-1 · Cited by 1
DeSmet, A., Vandebosch, H., & Schwarz, A. F. (2022) · The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication · doi:10.1002/9781119678816.iehc0616
Self-citationGomes, J. L. D. B., Barbosa, R. R., Nunes, S. M. S., et al. (2022) · Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Esporte · doi:10.1590/rbce.44.e000222
Therapeutic Gaming for Adolescent Anxiety
Barnes, S., & Prescott, J. (2022) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-7589-8.ch037
Kirvesniemi, T., & Poikolainen, J. (2017) · Sosiaalipedagoginen aikakauskirja · doi:10.30675/sa.63501
Protótipo: um aplicativo que pode mudar os níveis de atividade física de crianças e adolescentes
Pereira, E. V., Nunes, R. Z. D. S., & de Farias, J. M. (2023) · Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde · doi:10.12820/rbafs.27e0290
Lippke, S. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-65816-1_15
Schäfer, A., Schaffner, D., Berge, K. V. D., Studer, N., van der Heiden, N., & Zimmermann, A. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-65920-5_5
Abraham, O., Nixon, G. A., & Seitz, L. L. (2023) · doi:10.2196/preprints.49382
Ningrum, V. D. A., Yuantari, R., Kurniawan, I. N., et al. (2023) · Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Community · doi:10.24071/jpsc.003888
“A systematic review involving 54 studies showed that digital games as health promotion media suit not only all genders and ages but also have significant short-term and long-term effects other than behavioral improvement (DeSmet et al., 2014).”
BackgroundOssenbrink, L., Haase, T., Timpel, P., et al. (2022) · doi:10.2196/preprints.44132
Evaluation of BehaviourCoach – An Exergaming Mobile Application Adapted for Mauritius
Elaheebocus, R., & Moonien, A. H. (2023) · International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE) · doi:10.1109/ie57519.2023.10179107
“This included the use of serious game mechanics, more specifically known as exergames, which require body movement for the game to progress onwards, thereby maintaining or even increasing the levels of physical activity [19]–[21].”
BackgroundSimon-Krier, A., Hegele, J. M., Gerling, K., Hellwig, E., & Woelber, J. P. (2023) · doi:10.2196/preprints.51253
Lampert, C., & Tolks, D. (2023) · Springer Reference Pflege, Therapie, Gesundheit · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-67055-2_48
Razi, P., Surayah, S., & Surbakti, A. T. B. (2023) · Proceeding International Conference Health Polytechnic of Jambi · doi:10.35910/icohpj.v1i0.632
Digital Interventions for Public Health: A Systematic Planning ApproachPreprint
Bruinsma, J., & Crutzen, R. (2023) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/j5akf
Initial Evaluation of a Mobile Therapeutic Game for Adolescent Anxiety Disorders
Barnes, S., Prescott, J., & Adams, J. (2023) · Lecture notes in networks and systems · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-37164-6_52
Puladian, M., Tafti, F. A., & Samadi, H. (2023) · Studies in Medical Sciences · doi:10.61186/umj.34.5.278
Exploring students’ perception of subjective food literacy: A model of educational practice
Coman, M. A., & Cherecheș, R. M. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28478 · Cited by 4
Carluccio, C. D. (2024) · Revue Européenne du Droit Social · doi:10.53373/reds.2024.63.2.0153
Aprendizaje y servicio en Terapia Ocupacional: experiencias de éxito
Vázquez, M. S., & Blanco, V. G. (2024) · Universidad de Burgos eBooks · doi:10.36443/9788418465796
Bloomfield, L., Boston, J., Mašek, M., Barwood, D., Andrew, L., & Devine, A. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.60755
Sarasmita, M. A., Lee, Y.-H., Chan, F.-Y., et al. (2023) · doi:10.2196/preprints.49692
Huang, Z., Ow, J. T., Tang, W. E., et al. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.59848
Schäfer, A., Schaffner, D., Berge, K. V. D., Studer, N., van der Heiden, N., & Zimmermann, A. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-69460-2_5
Yukang, X., & Zhu, L. (2023) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781107165250.034
Serious Games in Mental Health Treatment
Huss, J. H., & Eichenberg, C. (2023) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781107165250.036
Lukhele, B. W., Delay, M., Shabalala, F. S., et al. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.70333
Metadata
- Authors
- DeSmet, A., Van Ryckeghem, D., Compernolle, S., Baranowski, T., Thompson, D., Crombez, G., Poels, K., Van Lippevelde, W., Bastiaensens, S., Van Cleemput, K., Vandebosch, H., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I.
- Affiliations
- Ghent University (BE)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Corresponding author
- DeSmet, Ann
- ORCID
- Venue
- Preventive Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 69
- Pages
- 95-107
- ISSN
- 0091-7435 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4403732
- OpenAlex
- W2093118219
- Semantic Scholar
- 228e274dce3a3661790bf4291e9d5fe1681c2aca
- Cited by
- 414
- References
- 143
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- Dépôt institutionnel de l'Université libre de Bruxelles (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Luxembourg) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- serious games, video games, healthy lifestyle promotion, health behavior change, game theory, knowledge outcomes, long-term effects, sociodemographic moderators, multicomponent intervention, game features
- MeSH terms
- Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Life Style, Male, Recreation, Health Behavior, Video Games
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-08, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-08 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
