JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced an urgent need for effective strategies to disseminate crucial knowledge and improve people’s subjective wellbeing. Complementing the more conventional approaches to knowledge dissemination, game-based interventions were developed to create awareness and educate about the pandemic, in order to change people’s attitudes and behaviors.

Objective:

This study provides an overview and analysis of game-based digital and analog interventions for the context of the COVID-19-pandemic. As major pandemics and other large-scale disruptive events are expected to increase in frequency in the coming decades, this analysis aims to inform the design, uptake, and effect of similar future interventions.

Methods:

From November 2021 through April 2022, Scopus, Google, and YouTube were searched for articles and videos describing COVID-19-themed game-based interventions. Information was extracted regarding authorship, year of development/launch, country of origin, license, deployment, genre/type, target audience, player interaction, in-game goal, and intended transfer effects. Information regarding intervention effectiveness was retrieved where possible.

Results:

A diverse repertoire of 24 analog and 43 digital serious games was identified, approximately one third through scientific articles. The majority of games were developed in 2020 and 2021 by research institutions, and originated in Europe and North America. A limited number were tested on relatively small samples, using a diversity of research methods to assess the potential changes in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors, as well as their gameplay experience. While the majority of evaluated games succeeded to engage and motivate the players, increase awareness, and improve their understanding of COVID-19-related issues, the success in influencing people's behavior was often unclear or limited.

Conclusions:

To help increase the impact of similar future interventions aiming at disseminating knowledge and influencing people’s attitudes and behaviors during a large-scale crisis, some considerations are suggested. Recommendations are made, based on the study results and informed by existing game theories, in relation to game development, deployment, and distribution; game users, design, and use; as well as game-design terminology and effectiveness testing of serious games. Clinical Trial: N/A