Serious Video Games for Health How Behavioral Science Guided the Development of a Serious Video Game.
Serious video games for health are designed to entertain players while attempting to modify some aspect of their health behavior. Behavior is a complex process influenced by multiple factors, often making it difficult to change. Behavioral science provides insight into factors that influence specific actions that can be used to guide key game design decisions. This article reports how behavioral science guided the design of a serious video game to prevent Type 2 diabetes and obesity among youth, two health problems increasing in prevalence. It demonstrates how video game designers and behavioral scientists can combine their unique talents to create a highly focused serious video game that entertains while promoting behavior change.
Thompson
Debbe
D
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Baranowski
Tom
T
Buday
Richard
R
Baranowski
Janice
J
Thompson
Victoria
V
Jago
Russell
R
Griffith
Melissa Juliano
MJ