Commercial Video Games Research Articles

Application of Commercial Games for Home-Based Rehabilitation for People with Hemiparesis: Challenges and Lessons Learned.

To identify the factors that influence the use of an at-home virtual rehabilitation gaming system from the perspective of therapists, engineers, and adults and adolescents with hemiparesis secondary to stroke, brain injury, and cerebral palsy. This study reports on qualitative findings from a study, involving seven adults (two female; mean age: 65 ± 8 years) and three adolescents (one female; mean age: 15 ± 2 years) with hemiparesis, evaluating the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of a home-based custom-designed virtual rehabilitation system over 2 months. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data from therapists' weekly telephone interview notes, research team documentation regarding issues raised during technical support interactions, and the transcript of a poststudy debriefing session involving research team members and collaborators. Qualitative themes that emerged suggested that system use was associated with three key factors as follows: (1) the technology itself (e.g., characteristics of the games and their clinical implications, system accessibility, and hardware and software design); (2) communication processes (e.g., preferences and effectiveness of methods used during the study); and (3) knowledge and training of participants and therapists on the technology's use (e.g., familiarity with Facebook, time required to gain competence with the system, and need for clinical observations during remote therapy). Strategies to address these factors are proposed. Lessons learned from this study can inform future clinical and implementation research using commercial videogames and social media platforms. The capacity to track compensatory movements, clinical considerations in game selection, the provision of kinematic and treatment progress reports to participants, and effective communication and training for therapists and participants may enhance research success, system usability, and adoption.

Commercial Video Games As Therapy: A New Research Agenda to Unlock the Potential of a Global Pastime.

Emerging research suggests that commercial, off-the-shelf video games have potential applications in preventive and therapeutic medicine. Despite these promising findings, systematic efforts to characterize and better understand this potential have not been undertaken. Serious academic study of the therapeutic potential of commercial video games faces several challenges, including a lack of standard terminology, rapidly changing technology, societal attitudes toward video games, and understanding and accounting for complex interactions between individual, social, and cultural health determinants. As a vehicle to launch a new interdisciplinary research agenda, the present paper provides background information on the use of commercial video games for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental and other health conditions, and discusses ongoing grassroots efforts by online communities to use video games for healing and recovery.

The impact of explicit mental health messages in video games on players’ motivation and affect

In order to enhance young people's motivation to participate in depression and anxiety prevention programs, video games are being developed. However, the conditions under which these games are motivating and by extension more effective are unclear. Therefore, we examine if youth's affective experience changes when they are aware of the mental health aim of a game. Based on reactance theory and self-determination theory, explicit intervention aims may be viewed as controlling, consequently diminishing the autonomy and intrinsic motivation experienced during gameplay. Alternatively, for participants with elevated depressive symptoms, personal relevance may increase motivation to play a depression intervention game that explicitly claims to have mental health objectives. In this study, undergraduate students (n = 146) played a cooperative commercial video game in pairs following a mental health or an entertainment-focused introduction message. Results showed that intrinsic motivation was high and similar across conditions, but autonomy was lower in the mental health condition. Furthermore, players higher in depressive symptoms experienced more relatedness, a stronger improvement in mood but also, in the mental health condition, less competence. These results indicate that some caution is necessary in explicitly stating mental health aims of video games, although it is not necessarily detrimental to motivation.

Influencia de los videojuegos comerciales en procesos neuropsicológicos en estudiantes universitarios

Currently several studies show the relevance of video games in neuropsychological processes of students. The purpose of this research study is to determine if there are differences in attention and executive function (specifically, cognitive flexibility and cognitive interference) between commercial video game players and non-players of commercial video games. Method: The sample (N=60, M=21.18, SD=1.47) is composed of university students in the Psychology Program in the Community of Madrid. The tests administered were the D2 test, Changes and Stroop. Results: The analysis shows that the group of players of commercial video games obtained scores significantly higher in attention, cognitive flexibility and cognitive interference than the group of non-players of commercial video games. Conclusions: These results are relevant for the use of commercial video games as novel and attractive tools to enhance attentional and executive cognitive abilities.

Team Gaming for Team-building: Effects on Team Performance

Teams rapidly form and dissolve in organizations to solve specific problems that require diverse skills and experience. For example, in the information systems context, cross-functional and project-based teams that comprise a mix of personnel who temporarily work away from their usual functional groups (best perform agile software development (Barlow et al., 2011; Keith, Demirkan, & Goul, 2013). These newly formed work teams need to become productive as quickly as possible. Team video gaming (TVG) has emerged as a potential team-building activity. When new teammates play a collaborative video game, they engage in cooperative and challenging goals while they enjoy the games. Although research has shown that video games can promote learning and recreation, it has not investigated the effects of commercial video games on subsequent work-team performance. Better understanding this issue will provide insights into how to rapidly develop cohesion among newly formed work teams and, thus, lead to greater team performance. We examined this issue through a laboratory experiment. We found that teams in the TVG treatment demonstrated a 20 percent productivity improvement in subsequent tasks (in our case, a team-based geocaching scavenger hunt) over teams that participated in traditional team-building activities.

Eficacia de los videojuegos comerciales en el tratamiento del equilibrio y la marcha en la enfermedad de Parkinson

ObjectiveTo perform a systematic review of the effectiveness of commercial video games in the rehabilitation of balance and gait disorders in Parkinson's disease. Search strategyA systematic search of scientific articles published in English or Spanish from September 2011 to December 2016 was carried out in the PubMed, PEDro, Science Direct, CINAHL and Cochrane databases. Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad scale.Selection of papers Twelve articles and two scientific posters were finally included. Synthesis of resultsA detailed description of the characteristics of the included articles (with a total of 276 participants), specifying the number of participants, type of intervention, comparison of interventions with other therapies, brief description of the results, and their score on the Jadad scale. ConclusionsCommercial video games produce benefits on balance and postural control, as well as on certain gait parameters, such as step length, cadence and walking speed, thus improving the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's. However, it cannot be stated that the effects of these devices exceed those of conventional treatments and the articles published were of low methodological quality.

Student attitudes to games-based skills development: Learning from video games in higher education

Qualitative interview data is presented in support of previously-published quantitative evidence that suggests commercial video games may be used to develop useful skills and competencies in undergraduate students. The purpose of the work described here was to document the attitudes of those students involved in the quantitative study and to explore how the game-based intervention was perceived. To this end, student attitudes to the use of specified games to develop communication skill, resourcefulness and adaptability are examined. A broadly positive perception of the games' efficacy for skills development is revealed, and the aspects of game play that students believe contribute to skills development are discussed. These aspects include the need to communicate with team mates in order to succeed, and the fluid, unpredictable nature of in-game challenges. It is suggested that while the games played an important role in skills development, interaction between students, facilitated by game play, was also a significant factor.

Exploring the relationship between video game expertise and fluid intelligence.

Hundreds of millions of people play intellectually-demanding video games every day. What does individual performance on these games tell us about cognition? Here, we describe two studies that examine the potential link between intelligence and performance in one of the most popular video games genres in the world (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas: MOBAs). In the first study, we show that performance in the popular MOBA League of Legends’ correlates with fluid intelligence as measured under controlled laboratory conditions. In the second study, we also show that the age profile of performance in the two most widely-played MOBAs (League of Legends and DOTA II) matches that of raw fluid intelligence. We discuss and extend previous videogame literature on intelligence and videogames and suggest that commercial video games can be useful as 'proxy' tests of cognitive performance at a global population level.

Video games can develop graduate skills in higher education students: A randomised trial

This study measured the effects of playing commercial video games on the development of the desirable skills and competences sometimes referred to as ‘graduate attributes’. Undergraduate students in the Arts and Humanities were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. Previously validated, self-report instruments to measure adaptability, resourcefulness and communication skill were administered to both groups. The intervention group played specified video games under controlled conditions over an eight week period. A large effect size was observed with mean score change 1.1, 1.15, and 0.9 standard deviations more positive in the intervention group than the control on the communication, adaptability, and resourcefulness scales respectively (p = 0.004, p = 0.002, and p = 0.013 for differences in groups by unpaired t-test). The large effect size and statistical significance of these results support the hypothesis that playing video games can improve self-reported graduate skills. The findings suggest that such game-based learning interventions have a role to play in higher education.

Functional changes in the reward circuit in response to gaming-related cues after training with a commercial video game

In the present longitudinal study, we aimed to investigate video game training associated neuronal changes in reward processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We recruited 48 healthy young participants which were assigned to one of 2 groups: A group in which participants were instructed to play a commercial video game (“Super Mario 64 DS”) on a portable Nintendo DS handheld console at least 30minutes a day over a period of two months (video gaming group; VG) or to a matched passive control group (CG). Before and after the training phase, in both groups, fMRI imaging was conducted during passively viewing reward and punishment-related videos sequences recorded from the trained video game. The results show that video game training may lead to reward related decrease in neuronal activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and increase in the hippocampus. Additionally, the decrease in DLPFC activation was associated with gaming related parameters experienced during playing. Specifically, we found that in the VG, gaming related parameters like performance, experienced fun and frustration (assessed during the training period) were correlated to decrease in reward related DLPFC activity. Thus, neuronal changes in terms of video game training seem to be highly related to the appetitive character and reinforcement schedule of the game. Those neuronal changes may also be related to the often reported video game associated improvements in cognitive functions.

You Are Not Expected to Survive: Affective Friction in the Combat Shooter Game <em>Battlefield 1</em>

You Are Not Expected to Survive: Affective Friction in the Combat Shooter Game <em>Battlefield 1</em>

Supporting Team Work in Game Design

Developing a video game is a costly activity, not only from an economic perspective, but also in terms of the time devoted to researching innovative solutions and managing interfaces between the creative and technical team members. In this article, we explore the possibility to use an approach rooted into AI techniques (namely Behaviour Trees) to help establish a lingua franca between these two different functions, in order to optimize both the development time and the quality of the final product. In particular, we have developed BETTER, a middleware which can be easily embedded into any game engine, and tested it during the design and development of Crazy-Hill, a commercial video game for iOS-based mobile devices.

BioPad: Leveraging off-the-Shelf Video Games for Stress Self-Regulation.

This paper presents an approach to use commercial videogames for biofeedback training. It consists of intercepting signals from the game controller and adapting them in real-time based on physiological measurements from the player. We present three sample implementations and a case study for teaching stress self-regulation via an immersive car racing game. We use a crossover gaming device to manipulate controller signals, and a respiratory sensor to monitor the players' breathing rate. We then alter the speed of the car to encourage slow deep breathing, in this way, allowing players to reduce their arousal while playing the game. We evaluate the approach against an alternative form of biofeedback that uses a graphic overlay to convey physiological information, and a control condition (playing the game without biofeedback). Experimental results show that our approach can promote deep breathing during gameplay, and also during a subsequent task, once biofeedback is removed. Our results also indicate that delivering biofeedback through subtle changes in gameplay can be as effective as delivering them directly through a visual display. These results open the possibility to develop low-cost and engaging biofeedback interventions using a variety of commercial videogames to promote adherence.

A methodology for assessing the effectiveness of serious games and for inferring player learning outcomes

Although serious games are proven to serve as educational tools in many educational domains, there is a lack of reliable, automated and repeatable methodologies that measure their effectiveness: what do players know after playing serious games? Do they learn from them? Previous research shows that the vast majority of serious games are assessed by using questionnaires, which is in stark contrast to current trends in the video game industry. Commercial videogame developers have been learning from their players through Game Analytics for years via non-disruptive game tracking. In this paper, we propose a methodology for assessing serious game effectiveness based on non-disruptive in-game tracking. The methodology involves a design pattern that structures the delivery of educational goals through a game. This structure also allows one to infer learning outcomes for each individual player, which, when aggregated, determine the effectiveness of a serious game. We tested the methodology by having 320 students play a serious game. The proposed methodology allowed us to infer players’ learning outcomes, to assess the game effectiveness levels and to identify issues in the game design.

Interactive Video Games are an Effective Supplementary to Pediatric Clinical Exercise Rehabilitation for Cerebral Palsy: Knowledge Translation of Video Game-based Therapy

To increase physical activity participation in children with cerebral palsy, the concept of video game-therapy has been introduced as a supplementary to physical rehabilitation programs. Evidence suggests that video game-based therapy is a safe, enjoyable and feasible strategy to increase movement experiences in children with developmental disabilities. Commercial video game consoles provide a platform for users to participate in repetitive movement tasks, which have been suggested to drive neuroplastic changes towards motor development in children with cerebral palsy. This evidence-based review is a supplementary to a knowledge translation video designed to educate the general public on the health-related benefits that can be accrued from playing interactive video games as an adjunct therapy to clinical exercise rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy.

Space across Narrative Media: Towards an Archaeology of Narratology

This essay describes the way that digital narratives (both commercial video games and electronic literature) create two kinds of space: a primary storytelling space in which gameplay or reading occurs, and an orientating space through which those primary spaces are encountered. This orienting space might include a larger narrative world, a menu from which game options can be chosen, or some expressive frame for our reading and play. This essay examines space in narrative theory—especially the work of Ruth Ronen, Gabriel Zoran, David Herman, and Mikhail Bakhtin—in search of a theory able to accommodate this orienting space. After an analysis of the challenges of accounting for intentionally bounded or limited narrative space in these theories, this essay turns to Bakhtin’s under-appreciated distinction between the view from inside and outside of the chronotope, which offers an account of what it would mean to occupy such an orienting space. This essay concludes by arguing that the methodology adopted here can have a wider application. By treating a new medium as offering possibilities that reveal unrecognized tensions and limitations within older theories, this essay describes a kind of narratological archeology similar to recent work on media archeology.

Is computer gaming associated with cognitive abilities? A population study among German adolescents

Playing commercial computer games supposedly trains cognitive abilities. The present study investigated linear and nonlinear associations between the time spent on computer and video games each day and cognitive abilities in a representative sample of N=12,459 German adolescents (51% girls). Piecewise polynomial regression analyses revealed that computer gamers scored higher on standardized tests of reasoning and receptive vocabulary than non-gamers, but the difference was small in size. Among gamers, the time spent on computer games exhibited very modest associations with the cognitive scores: Reasoning and receptive vocabulary showed a slight (non)linear increase, whereas perceptual and reading speed were largely unrelated to gaming times. Analyses that did not account for the gender of the respondents created spurious effects that might wrongly indicate associations of gaming times with cognitive abilities. This is the first large-scale assessment showing that linear as well as nonlinear associations between playing commercial computer games and different cognitive abilities are weak to nonexistent.

The effects of a bike active video game on players' physical activity and motivation

BackgroundPlayers may not acquire adequate levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) when playing commercial video games. This study's goal was to evaluate the effects of an exercise bike video game played by using a mobile application-based exergame that was designed exclusively to promote participants' MVPA, with additional attention paid to this game's ability to promote greater situational interest. MethodsAn experimental design was used with 163 students (aged 20.31 ± 1.30, 18–26 years, 61.3% male), all of whom were randomly allocated into an experimental group and a control group. Physical activity (PA) levels were assessed with ActiGraph GT3X+ (ActiGraph Inc., Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA) accelerometers. The situational interest scale was used to evaluate students' situational interest in both groups. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to examine the differences between sedentary behavior, PA levels, and situational interest between groups. Regression analyses were also used, with the purpose being to evaluate the strength of the relationship between PA and situational interest. ResultsResults revealed that the experimental group had higher degrees of sedentary behavior, light PA, total interest, instant enjoyment, exploration intention, attention demand, novelty, and challenge, whereas the control group received higher scores for MVPA (control 95.01% vs. experimental group 89.94%). Regression analysis indicated that instant enjoyment (β = 0.49, p < 0.01), exploration intention (β = 0.18, p < 0.05), and attention demand (β = 0.17, p < 0.05) were positive predictors for total interest, explaining 43% of its variance. ConclusionA newly designed mobile application-based exergame played via an exercise bike may enhance situational interest and provide a decent level of PA for players.

The use of commercial video games in rehabilitation: a systematic review.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of commercial video games (VGs) in physical rehabilitation of motor functions. Several databases were screened (Medline, SAGE Journals Online, and ScienceDirect) using combinations of the following free-text terms: commercial games, video games, exergames, serious gaming, rehabilitation games, PlayStation, Nintendo, Wii, Wii Fit, Xbox, and Kinect. The search was limited to peer-reviewed English journals. The beginning of the search time frame was not restricted and the end of the search time frame was 31 December 2015. Only randomized controlled trial, cohort, and observational studies evaluating the effect of VGs on physical rehabilitation were included in the review. A total of 4728 abstracts were screened, 275 were fully reviewed, and 126 papers were eventually included. The following information was extracted from the selected studies: device type, number and type of patients, intervention, and main outcomes. The integration of VGs into physical rehabilitation has been tested for various pathological conditions, including stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, balance training, weight loss, and aging. There was large variability in the protocols used (e.g. number of sessions, intervention duration, outcome measures, and sample size). The results of this review show that in most cases, the introduction of VG training in physical rehabilitation offered similar results as conventional therapy. Therefore, VGs could be added as an adjunct treatment in rehabilitation for various pathologies to stimulate patient motivation. VGs could also be used at home to maintain rehabilitation benefits.

Becoming a tutor: student scaffolding in a game-based classroom

Student interaction in school contexts is a topic that has been researched from many different perspectives. However, the role of students as tutors scaffolding other peers is not normally addressed, since studies are usually focused on the teacher. Moreover, considering the many technologies that can support students’ work nowadays, studies describing specific practices are still needed in order to understand the many possibilities and constraints that can emerge from the use of these tools in the field of education. This exploratory case study aims to extend research on scaffolding between students, presenting data from an ethnographic study where a commercial video game was introduced as part of the curricular activities. Analytically, the scaffolding metaphor is the departing point to describe in detail how the scaffolding process took place, focusing on its purposes and on the role of students as tutors. Our findings reveal how students offered mostly procedural scaffoldings, performing tutor functions such as highlighting relevant features, reducing levels of freedom or controlling the frustration. Results highlight that students can perform scaffolds, and this should be considered as part of the classroom design, making this process visible. Moreover, specific features of the video game enhanced these interactions, which should also be considered when designing game learning environments in the future.