JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

There has been a growing interest in the application of gamification (ie, the use of game elements) to computerised cognitive training. The introduction of targeted gamification features to such tasks may increase motivation and engagement as well as improve intervention effects. However, there is also the possibility for game elements to have adverse effects on cognitive training (eg, be a distraction), which can outweigh their potential motivational benefits. So far, little is known about the effectiveness of such applications.

Objective:

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the effect of gamification on process outcomes (eg, motivation) and on changes in the training domain (eg, cognition), and finally, to explore the role of potential moderators.

Methods:

We searched PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest Psychology, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, EMBASE, IEEE Xplore, ACM, and a range of grey area literature databases. Searches included papers published between the years 2008 and 2018.

Results:

The systematic review identified 49 studies, of which nine randomised controlled trials could be included in the meta-analysis. Results of the review indicated that research in this context is still developing and lacks well-controlled empirical studies. Gamification in cognitive training is applied to a large range of age groups and audiences, and mostly delivered at a research site through computers. Rewards and feedback continue to dominate the gamification landscape, whereas social-oriented features (eg, competition) are underutilised. The meta-analytic analyses showed gamified training tasks were more motivating/engaging (Hedges’ g= 0.72) and also more difficult/demanding (Hedges’ g= -0.52) than non- or less-gamified tasks, whereas no effects on the training domain were found. Further, no variables moderated the impact of gamified training tasks.

Conclusions:

Overall, this review gives an overview of the existing research in the domain and provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of gamification at improving motivation/engagement in the context of cognitive training. We discuss shortcomings in the current literature and provide recommendations for future research.