Table 1.

Differences between the paradigms of health care and entertainment are exemplified through digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) and digital entertainment games.

	DMHI	Digital entertainment games
Underlying paradigm	Health care	Entertainment
Paradigm code	Health	Leisure
Underlying need	Alleviating disorders and increasing well-being	Offering enjoyment, relaxation, and social connection
Users	Patients, clients	Consumers, players, fans
Goal	Introducing behavioral change and alleviating symptoms	Captivating and entertaining the player
The scientific base	Extensive research base	Growing research base
Categorized by	Therapeutic modality (eg, CBTa)	Game genre (eg, FPSb)
Evaluated by	Efficacy and safety	Game experience, business metrics, and reviews
Initiative to use	Often recommended by a health care professional	Chosen by the player from a wide variety of alternatives
Entry to market	High threshold: clinical evidence, regulations, and gatekeepers	Low threshold: global digital marketplaces
Availability	Growing number of interventions	High number of commercial games
Purchase	Insurance often pays for the service.	The customer pays for the service.
Business model	B2Bc	B2Cd

^aCBT: cognitive behavior therapy.

^bFPS: first-person shooter.

^cB2B: business to business.

^dB2C: business to consumer.