Evaluating Efficacy and Validating Games for Health

Abstract

The field of games for health is growing rapidly, but many games for health are not validated for their use as a tool to improve outcomes. The few research studies that do exist are often poorly designed, and their conclusions cannot be considered valid evidence to support or refute efficacy. Based on lessons learned from the field of digital game-based learning in education and recent efforts to systematically review games for health in meta-analyses, guidelines are suggested for conducting high-quality efficacy studies on games for health.