Citation

Kaufman G, Flanagan M, Seidman M, Wien S. Games Health J. 2015; 4(4): 295-304.

Affiliation

Tiltfactor Laboratory, Dartmouth College , Hanover, New Hampshire.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/g4h.2014.0134

PMID

26182217

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This article presents the design and empirical investigation of the "RePlay Health" game ( www.replayhealth.com/ ), a novel "role-playing sport" derived from a complex, data-driven, computational simulation of healthcare dynamics. By immersing players in a fictional world in which they take on the role of characters facing specific behavioral and environmental risk factors, the "RePlay Health" game models the impact of health and healthcare policy on individual-level livelihood and community-level productivity.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A randomized experiment tested the efficacy of the game for inspiring shifts in thinking about public health and healthcare policy. This study compared the impact of actively playing the game versus passively spectating: 31 young adults were assigned to one of these two roles. Participants completed pretest and posttest measures of their subjective ranking of healthcare policies and attributions for health outcomes.

RESULTS: Active players (compared with spectators) reported significantly higher prioritizations (from pretest to posttest) in their subjective ranking of several health policies modeled by the game, such as "improving postdischarge care" and "increasing access to healthy foods." Furthermore, players, but not spectators, were significantly more likely following gameplay to identify environmental or systemic factors as potential causes of health problems.

CONCLUSIONS: The fact that significant results emerged with a 1-week gap between gameplay and measurement demonstrates that the game could exert a lasting impact on attitudes and perceptions. More broadly, this work illustrates the value of incorporating experiential components, such as narrative, embodiment, and role-playing, in designing efficacious games for health.

Language: en