Table 4.
Gamification elements included in lifestyle interventions involving family members
| Gamification element | Psychological need | Number of interventions with element | Examples of element from interventions included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game design elements reflecting engaged learning | |||
| Affiliation with others | Relatedness to others | 33 | • Facebook support group for caregivers (Ling, 2018) • Web social support (Po’e, 2013) |
| Focused goals | Autonomy | 29 | • Goals set between parents and children (Waling, 2012) • Spouses support and focus on participant’s goals, avoiding criticism (King, 2014) |
| Novelty and variety | Autonomy | 22 | • Online synchronous meetings on website with coach and families (Hingle, 2019) • Child sends parent “letter” over FB messenger with food would like to try in next month (Ling, 2018) |
| Affirmation of performance | Perceived competence | 20 | • Real-time assessments based on sensors (Fedele, 2019; Espinoza, 2017) • Support for those not making goals (Bock, 2014) |
| Clear and compelling standards | Perceived competence | 19 | • Follow national recommendations on diet (Graziano, 2017, Diaz, 2010) |
| Choice | Autonomy | 17 | • Type of physical activity, with indoor sports tickets and exercise equipment offered (Viitasalo, 2016) |
| Challenging tasks | Perceived competence | 13 | • Modify recipes (Savoye, 2011) • Assignments and activities related to health behaviors for parents and children between sessions (Waling, 2012, Brennan, 2013) |
| Protection from adverse consequences for initial failures | Perceived competence | 3 | • “Power time” interactive lab between parents and children to try new snacks (Smith, 2013) • Practice problem solving (Fenner, 2016) • Work together on workbook activities (Catenacci, 2014) |
| Game design elements reflecting motivational affordances | |||
| Teammates | Relatedness to others | 10 | • Partners had shared goals and tracking (Aschbrenner, 2015) • Children and parents work as team to modify family recipes (Savoye, 2011) |
| Performance graphs/Levels | Perceived competence | 7 | • Sensor data downloaded and tracked at doctor’s office (Espinoza, 2017) or posted to FB (Ling, 2018) |
| Meaningful stories | Relatedness to others | 3 | • Culturally-specific stories written on living with and managing diabetes (Gilliland, 2002) |
| Badges | Perceived competence | 2 | • Spouse identifies reward for progress toward goals (King, 2014) |
| Points | Perceived competence | 2 | • Points awarded for reaching goals, translate into family-provided rewards (TODAY 2010) |
| Leaderboard | Perceived competence | 1 | • Teams were placed in order of success toward goals (Martin, 2009) |
| Avatars | Relatedness to others | 0 | |