GAMIFICATION + HEALTHCARE

Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog post where we are going to explore deeply into gamification and health.

Before we get into it... a quick reminder:

‘Gamification is defined as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts’ (Deterding et al. 2011).

After a quick brainstorm, I very quickly realised just how frequent gamification and health are combined. This includes both mental and physical health.

One of the great things about gamification is its drive to motivate its users. When you put this in a ‘health’ situation, there are so many examples that appear! Check out my YouTube video of some examples I incorporate in my everyday routine!

Screenshot by Jess Webster Infographic by Jess Webster

Physical Health

Let’s start off with physical health.

Eh. Its isolation. Netflix is calling and all you want to do is curl up in a ball and eat lots of snacks (or is that just me? Awkward.) All you need is cup of motivation and dash of accountability and that mindset can be changed in an instant. Swap your pyjamas for some activewear, your UGGS for some runners and the television remote for a dumbbell. There are sooooo many health apps out there that can do this for you. I use multiple, particularly those that have daily challenges set t

o be completed, little reminders to get your body moving and of course those with rewards are always a bonus! I have been using an app called Keep It Cleaner for 2 years now. It provides you with a daily workout, meal ideas, yoga flows, meditations and a running tracker. I particularly like how the instructors are involved in each workout and aren’t just demonstrating, but actually doing it alongside you! It’s a great way to keep motivated and feel as though you are doing it alongside a buddy. There are health apps that use your competitiveness as a gamified element, sharing your data and information with other app users to compare progress, further improve your healthy habits and reach your goals, these include Fitbit & Co and EveryMove.

Mental Health

Looking at more of the mental health side of things, there are many ways gamification is linked. Do you have any mental health apps such as HeadSpace or Bloom that encourage users to practice meditation and mindful activities. As previously spoken about on my last podcast, Bloom is an app that provides you with daily tasks that focus on mental health and each completed task works towards blooming a lotus flower.

Medical health

There are also gamification elements that assist the medical side of your health. If you consider yourself quite hopeless when it comes to taking daily medication at the required time, you should try Mango Health. The app provides information about the medication and helps remind you to take it. When you continue to take it correctly, you can earn points that tally towards redeeming gift cards or charitable donations for weekly raffles.

Other Health + Gamification Combos

One app that I have recently discovered is called Yumit. Were you ever a little critter and put your parents through hell when they would try to feed you vegetables or any new sort of food? I know I was. Yumit is an interactive dinner plate, that encourages kids to eat by turning their food into virtual points and energy that can be redeemed towards other mobile games and upgrades.

These are only very few of the incredible gamified apps and features amongst healthcare. It is clear to state that gamification is a strong driver for motivation, therefore is a strong tool that can be used towards adopting a healthier and happier lifestyle. ‘Gamifying fitness is a way to attract users, encourage participation and motivate behaviour change’ (Reynolds et al., 2013).

In our current world dilemma, we are living in today, it is fair to say that gamification is definitely keeping my health on track. Encouraging me to set new goals, keep motivated and collaborate with others socially.

Stieglitz, S, Latteman, C, Robra-Bissantz, S, Zarnekow, R & Brockman, T 2017, Gamification: Using game elements in serious context, Spri

nger, Cham, date retrieved 29 March 2020, <https://link-springer-com.ezproxy-b.deakin.edu.au/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-45557-0#editorsandaffiliations>

The Medical Futurist 2017, The Top 15 Examples of Gamification in Healthcare, The Medical Futurist, date retrieved 22 April 2020, <https://medicalfuturist.com/top-examples-of-gamification-in-healthcare/>

Johnson, Daniel, Deterding, Sebastian, Kuhn, Kerri-Ann, Staneva, Aleksandra, Stoyanov, Stoyan & Hides, Leanne 2016, ‘Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature’, Internet Interventions, vol. 6, November 2016, pp. 89-106, <https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2214782916300380?token=35BBBB9414D7063765F1C4E42F48C9BC65CB77A980067B2BB9215ACC3F43D69F7429AA6F005CA94374584871822CA485>