Combining traditional laparoscopic box practice with video gaming: A randomized control trial

Effect of violent and non-violent video games on stress markers and test meal intakes. A randomized control trial in overweight young men.

A level playing field

Objectives: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) compared to video games on executive functions in children with attention deficit hyperactivity children (ADHD). Methods: This was an unblinded randomized control trial study with ADHD participants recruited from various schools in Patiala District in Punjab, India. The participants were screened for ADHD using the NICHQ Vanderbilt assessment scale and then they were assessed for eligibility. The random allocation method was done for 61 participants and they were divided into two groups: the control group (video game only) and the intervention group (tDCS along with video game). tDCS was applied at the F3 (anode) and Fp2 (cathode) positions with 1 mA intensity for 20 min 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Pre-, mid-, and post- (day 0, 15, 30) intervention scores for the Raven progressive matrices, the Stroop test, and the trail making test were evaluated for all the participants. Results: The present study had 61 participants in the age range of 10 to 16 years. They were randomly allocated to control and intervention groups. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate within-group differences and an unpaired t test was utilized for between-group analyses on different parameters with P<0.05 as the level of significance. Our analysis revealed that tDCS along with video games has a statistically significant effect on components of executive functions as evaluated via the Raven progressive matrices (t=2.483, P=0.01), the Stroop test (t=3.507, P=0.001) and the trail making test (TMT Part A: t=3.238, P=0.02; TMT Part B: t=4.064, P=0.000) compared to the control group. Discussion: When compared with video games, tDCS is effective in improving executive functions in children with ADHD. A randomized control trial with a larger sample size is needed to strengthen the findings of this study and overcome its limitations.

This article reviews the available literature about the use of novel methods of rehabilitation using virtual reality interventions for people living with posttraumatic brain injuries. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library databases were searched using the terms "virtual reality" OR "video games" AND "traumatic brain injury." Included studies investigated therapeutic use of virtual reality in adults with a brain trauma resulting from acquired closed head injury, reported outcomes that included measures of motor or cognitive functionality, and were published in a peer-reviewed journal written in English. Eighteen articles fulfilled inclusion criteria. Eight were case studies, five studies had a quasi-experimental design with a pre-post comparison, and five were pilot randomized control trials or comparative studies. The virtual reality systems used were commercial or custom designed for the study and ranged from expensive, fully immersive systems to cheap online games or videogames. In before-after comparisons, improvements in balance were seen in four case studies and two small randomized control trials. Between-group comparisons in these randomized control trials showed no difference between virtual reality and traditional therapy. Post-training improvements were also seen for upper extremity functions (five small studies) and for various cognitive function measures (four case studies and one pilot randomized control trial). Attitudes of participants toward virtual reality interventions was more positive than for traditional therapy (three studies). The evidence that the use of virtual reality in rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury improves motor and cognitive functionality is currently very limited. However, this approach has the potential to provide alternative, possibly more affordable and available rehabilitation therapy for traumatic brain injury in settings where access to therapy is limited by geographical or financial constraints.

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) poses complex challenges in social communication, behavior, and learning, which traditional therapies often fail to fully address. This study explores an interactive VR-Motion serious game designed for children with ASD, leveraging immersive, controlled environments to enhance social skills, self-care, and emotional regulation.ObjectiveChildren with autism often suffer from multiple complications; thus, new serious games that are versatile and easy to use are more suitable for them. This study aims to design and develop a versatile serious game for multifaceted intervention in children with autism, encompassing psychological, social, and learning aspects. We also aim to evaluate the rationality of its design and the effectiveness of its content, with the ultimate goal of providing an effective intervention therapy for children with autism.Subjects and methodsThis study used the methods of pre-experiment and formal experiment. The pre-experiment (n = 2): Control group (Average Age = 123.8 months, SD = 32.27 months) experimental group (Average Age = 119.4 months, SD = 29.41 months), in which one male and one female was trained 4 times a week for 4 h each time for 3 weeks. The formal experiment (n = 19): random number sampling method was adopted to sample them into two groups for simultaneous intervention training, 4 times a week for 4 h each time for 16 weeks. (Average Age: 98.76–150.23 month, SD: 17.79–44.81 month, : 5:4).ResultsThe analysis of formal experimental data shows that the design of this interactive VR-Motion serious game is reasonable and it has a good effect on the training of social communication and self-living ability of autistic children. In the post-test of wish tracking, df = 9; t = −1.155 and p = 0.281, it can be seen that the interactive VR-Motion serious game intervention has a good improvement on the social willingness of autistic children.ConclusionThe experimental results show that the design of interactive VR-Motion serious game provides excellent guidance for the simulation of autistic children’s attempts to socialize and experience warm social emotions and introduces correct life situations by cultivating their independent willingness to join social interactions during the game, and it has good benefits in establishing a stable learning environment.

BackgroundLifestyle intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is effective but needs a special local setting and is costly. Therefore, in a randomized-controlled trial we tested the hypothesis that the autonomous use of the interactive exercise game Wii Fit Plus over a period of 12 weeks improves metabolic control, with HbA1c reduction as the primary outcome, and weight loss, reduction of cardiometabolic risk factors, physical activity and quality of life (secondary outcomes) in T2DM patients.MethodsParticipants (n = 220) were randomized into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group was provided with a Wii console, a balance board and the exercise game Wii Fit Plus for 12 weeks. The control group remained under routine care and received the items 12 weeks later. At baseline and after 12 weeks (and for the control group additionally after 12 weeks of intervention) the participants’ health parameters, medication, physical activity and validated questionnaires for quality of life (PAID, SF12, WHO-5, CES-D) were requested and compared in a complete case analysis using the Mann–Whitney test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test.Results80% of participants completed the 12-week study. Patients in the intervention group significantly improved HbA1c (from 7.1 ± 1.3% to 6.8 ± 0.9%; -0.3 ± 1.1%; p = 0.0002) in comparison to the control group (from 6.8 ± 0.9% to 6.7 ± 0.7%; -0.1 ± 0.5%) and also significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (from 135.8 ± 38.9 mg/dl to 126.6 ± 36.6 mg/dl; p = 0.04), weight (from 97.6 ± 19.2 kg to 96.3 ± 18.7 kg; p < 0.001) and body mass index (from 34.1 ± 6.5 kg/m2 to 33.5 ± 6.5 kg/m2; p < 0.001). Daily physical activity increased significantly (p < 0.001). Diabetes-dependent impairment, mental health, subjective wellbeing and quality of life also improved significantly, and the number of patients with depression decreased. Similar improvements were seen in the control group after exercise game intervention.ConclusionsIn this trial a low-threshold intervention with the interactive exercise game Wii Fit Plus was able to motivate T2DM patients to improve physical activity, glucometabolic control and quality of life.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01735643.

Effect of artificial intelligence-based video-game system on dysphagia in patients with stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Perioperative Anxiety and Stress in Children Undergoing Congenital Cardiac Surgery and Their Parents: Effect of Brief Intervention—A Randomized Control Trial

A remotely-applied, cognitive control-based video game intervention to reduce depressive symptoms in a sub-clinical population: A randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Background: There is a rising epidemic of pediatric obesity in the United States and worldwide. While many factors contribute to pediatric overweight and obesity, dietary decisions are a leading cause. Children spend many hours a day playing video games, mostly on mobile devices. Hence, personalized gamification and learnification on mobile devices have great potential to influence children’s dietary-lifestyle behaviors during the habit formation stage of early childhood. In fact, video games on mobile devices have become a platform through which children learn in a fun and enjoyable way. While there is some early evidence of the positive impact of neuropsychology-based, cartoon-styled, immersive video games on healthy eating behaviors in children, the mechanisms underlying these improved outcomes are yet to be understood. Objective: To design appropriate interventions in the game environment for children’s behavior formation and change, we need to learn more about the underlying patterns of player behaviors evidenced during gameplay through techniques of machine learning and stochastic optimization. Building on prior descriptive work, this study examines the impact of a diet and lifestyle focused mobile game on children’s game play patterns and associate these patterns with their actual food choices using machine learning and statistical models. Methods: Our dataset was generated from an IRB-approved, informed consent–based randomized controlled trial (RCT) with pre- and post-treatment measurements of almost 100 school children using fooya!, a novel mobile gaming, iOS/Android based App that is being developed as a low-risk and non-invasive “digital vaccine” for lifestyle diseases, for 2 exposures of 20 minutes each. Based on artificial intelligence, neuropsychology and cognitive behavior therapy, fooya! has been shown to deliver positive outcomes with respect to food choices, self-reported dietary choices, and healthy eating intentions. We first model the process of game playing at any level across all students as a discrete, time-homogeneous, first-order Markov chain with multiple states, each representing a status of the game. Process mining identifies distinct patterns in the game sequences and statistical models establish the relationship between game patterns combined with demographic and behavioral data with actual food choices at the end of the game. Results: We find strong evidence of the positive effect of the mobile game on actual food choices, just after 40 minutes of intervention exposure (T: 2.46; C: 1.10; P<.001). Analysis of children’s play patterns shows significant variations in game play mechanics among players. Regression analyses further reveal that more engaged, dynamic, and strategic game play patterns are associated with better actual food choices. Conclusions: This study adds to the growing body of evidence that learning about healthy eating in a fun and exciting way via mobile games, acting as Digital Vaccines, can positively impact children’s actual food choices. While promising, additional RCTs in varied settings and deeper analysis of the resulting data are needed to confirm Digital Vaccines’ potential to reduce the long-term risk of nutrition related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as health risks from the double burden of overweight vs malnutrition and under-nutrition by educating children regarding healthy lifestyle choices using mobile games.

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that both cognitive training and physical exercise help to maintain brain health and cognitive functions that decline with age. Some studies indicate that combined interventions may produce larger effects than each intervention alone. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of combined cognitive and physical training compared to cognitive training and physical training alone on executive control and memory functions in healthy older adults.ObjectivesThe main objectives of this four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) are: to investigate the synergetic effects of a simultaneous, group-based multidomain training program that combines cognitive video-game training with physical exercise, in comparison to those produced by cognitive training combined with physical control activity, physical training combined with cognitive control activity, or a combination of both control activities; to investigate whether event-related potential latencies of the P2 component are shorter and N2 and P3b components assessed in a memory-based task switching task are enhanced after training; and to find out whether possible enhancements persist after a 3-month period without training.MethodsIn this randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 144 participants will be randomly assigned to one of the four combinations of cognitive training and physical exercise. The cognitive component will be either video-game training (cognitive intervention, CI) or video games not specifically designed to train cognition (cognitive control, CC). The physical exercise component will either emphasize endurance, strength, and music–movement coordination (exercise intervention, EI) or stretching, toning, and relaxation (exercise control, EC).DiscussionThis RCT will investigate the short and long-term effects of multidomain training, compared to cognitive training and physical training alone, on executive control and memory functions in healthy older adults, in comparison with the performance of an active control group.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03823183. Registered on 21 January 2019.

Many public health interventions are less effective than expected in ‘real life settings’, yet little work is undertaken to understand the reasons why. The effectiveness of complex public health interventions can often be traced back to a robust programme theory (how and why an intervention brings about a change in outcome(s)) and assumptions that are made about the context in which it is implemented. Understanding whether effectiveness (or lack thereof) is due to the intervention or the context is hugely helpful in decisions about whether to a) modify the intervention; b) modify the context; c) stop providing the intervention. Exergames–also known as Active Video Games or AVGS–are video games which use the player's bodily movements as input and have potential to increase physical activity in children. However, the results of a recent pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a location-based exergame (FitQuest) in a school setting were inconclusive; no significant effect was detected for any of the outcome measures. The aim of this study was to explore whether the programme theory for FitQuest was correct with respect to how and why it would change children’s perceptions of physical activity (PA) and exercise self-efficacy in the school setting. A further aim was to investigate the features of the school setting (context) that may impact on FitQuest’s implementation and effectiveness. Qualitative data (gathered during the RCT) were gathered from interviews with teachers and children, and observation of sessions using FitQuest. Thematic analysis indicated that whilst children enjoyed playing the game, engaged with goal setting within the game context and undertook low to vigorous physical activity, there were significant contextual factors that prevented it from being played as often as intended. These included environmental factors (e.g. size of the playground), school factors (cancellations due to other activities), school technology policy (rules relating to mobile phone usage) and teacher factors (engagement with the intervention). A revised logic model for the FitQuest intervention indicates how both the design of exergame technology (intervention) and features of the school environment (context) could be improved to increase chances of effectiveness in the future.

In the era of digitalization, globalization, and the fourth industrial revolution, human knowledge is rapidly increasing every day, and the amount of information and data being generated is growing at unimaginable scales, transcending all barriers and becoming crucial in almost all spheres of life. Digital technologies and computers are increasingly permeating culture and everyday life, transforming traditional cultural forms and practices and creating space for profound anthropological changes. This process reaches its peak in the phenomenon of video games, which, although initially conceived as a means of entertainment, have evolved into a dominant form of virtual culture. Video games have quickly surpassed their original purpose, becoming a ubiquitous phenomenon that contributes to the creation of new sociocultural practices and the expansion of anthropological identity. With their unique virtual-interactive tools, video games open up space for a new understanding of creativity, life, freedom, art, and aesthetic values, while carrying significant political and ethical implications. Like any new phenomenon, video games are a field with insufficiently developed and systematized scientific theory, interpretation, and understanding of basic concepts. Science needs to focus on the ontology and epistemology of video games to better understand their essence and place in the contemporary world, providing answers that only the philosophy of video games, with its metaphysics as a way of understanding and describing the era of video games, can offer. This work is an attempt to identify and understand certain phenomenological and noumenal aspects of video games, thus making an additional step towards the systematic philosophical study and deconstruction of video games, one of the most important phenomena of the modern world.

The Night Journey (2007–2018) is one of the first experimental art game ever made according to the promotional content description made by its designers. The game directed by video artist Bill Viola who is known with his video installations that question fundamentals of human existence in relation to the nature. The Night Journey frames the similar conception with an unconventional journey to the basis of humane circumstances overwhelmed by a challenging environment. Although there is no narrative path to follow and no goals to achieve, decisions made by the players can create procedural changes in their existence and the world surrounding them. Thus, the game falls apart from the conventional understanding of user experiences and it moves to a conceptual experience that is symbolic and more metaphorical. The game raises an inquiry on being a video game with its mechanics and at the same time being an artwork with its aesthetic, conceptual and artistic qualities. This triggers an outmoded debate on involvement of technologies to art practices. Respectively photography, cinema, video and more recently digital technologies became the subject of the same debate in academic and practical circles. The commercial aspects of the aforementioned technologies have created confusion regarding their regard as art-forms. The position of their aesthetic experiences against being reproducible have remained open to discussion when compared to traditional art practices. When the video game literature today is examined, it is observed that the similar dilemma is a subject of discussion. This article aims to define the relationship between video game and art within the framework of current practices and discussions, and to identify the possibilities and potential boundaries of the video game medium as a contemporary art practice in terms of artist, artwork and audience. In this context, three exhibitions led by Museum of Modern Art Museum of New York, Victoria and Albert Museum and Barbican Center is examined to understand past, present and future of videogame as artwork.KeywordsVideogameContemporary artExhibitionsConceptualizationTransformation

Saqiyuq is the name the Inuit give to a strong wind that suddenly shifts direction; Saqiyuq: Stories from the Lives of Three Inuit Women is a vivid portrait of the changing nature of life in the Arctic during the twentieth century. Through their life stories, a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter take us on a remarkable journey in which the cycles of life - childhood, adolescence, marriage, birthing and child rearing - are presented against the contrasting experiences of three successive generations. Their memories and reflections give us poignant insight into the history of the people of the new territory of Nunavut. Apphia Awa, who was born in 1931, experienced the traditional life on the land while Rhoda Katsak, Apphia's daughter, was part of the transitional generation who were sent to government schools. In contrast to both, Sandra Katsak, Rhoda's daughter, has grown up in the settlement of Pond Inlet among the conveniences and tensions of contemporary northern communities - video games and coffee shops but also drugs and alcohol. During the last years of Apphia's life Rhoda and Sandra began working to reconnect to their traditional culture and learn the art of making traditional skin clothing. Through the storytelling in Saqiyuq, Apphia, Rhoda, and Sandra explore the transformations that have taken place in the lives of the Inuit and chart the struggle of the Inuit to reclaim their traditional practices and integrate them into their lives. Nancy Wachowich became friends with Rhoda Katsak and her family during the early 1990s and was able to record their stories before Apphia's death in 1996. Saqiyuq: Stories from the Lives of Three Inuit Women will appeal to everyone interested in the Inuit, the North, family bonds, and a good story.