How can mental health professionals use gamification to engage and motivate their clients?

In the end, it comes down to one word: Experience. We all are formed by our experiences and our worldviews, beliefs and actions are inspired by them. Gamification acts as a powerful tool to engage people in an attempt to create positive experiences and improve desired actions from the stakeholders involved.

WHAT IS GAMIFICATION? We need to stop linking Gamification directly to the application of game mechanics. Too many people are just randomly adding PBLs to any product because of it, and it doesn't work that way. Gamification is the implementation of Behavioral Science / Behavioral Economics concepts into real-world experiences, mainly (but not exclusively) through Game Techniques. So you DO need to understand psychology first in order to apply the correct techniques that will actually increase engagement for your specific audience. WHY USE IT? If designed correctly, it's probably the most reliable way to increase motivation and engagement, which leads to behavior change and habit formation (important for mental health).

Gamification has been proven to drive user engagement in almost any experience by adding game elements and sometimes even psychology. This helps create a motivating and immersive experience for users, increasing overall engagement.

Aside from the usual focus that highlights the motivation and engagement gamification has, it's very important to understand how these concepts could track progress or growth related with mental health. By implementing these mechanics, we can translate achievements and progress into easy-to-share items that are also empowering. Turning a whole therapy process into a set of quests or level ups, can help the users reduce their sense of being stuck with a given problem or situation.

Gamifica??o vai além de pontos e rankings, isto é, visa compreender as motiva??es humanas e criar experiências que motivem pessoas a realizar a??es desejadas. Assim, profissionais da saúde mental podem usar a gamifica??o para guiar pacientes em jornadas estimulantes. Isso significa tornar os processos existentes mais atrativos, sem alterar sua eficácia comprovada. A gamifica??o nesse caso de uso n?o visa mudar abordagens eficientes, mas torná-las mais motivadoras e eficazes.

Game mechanics or tools can be very helpful when you wish to entice a user of the system being design to engage in the system that is meant to aid in their mental health condition. It is important to realize that point, badges, and rewards are all extrinsic motivators that can only help induce dopamine effect. Unfortunately, these positive gratifying feelings are temporary. Systems built on users' intrinsic motivators; will see long lasting positive behavioral changes in the mental health of the player/user. One system being developed now considers only intrinsic motivation to create behavioral change and is based on the hero's journey framework by Joseph Campbell. See more at: https://www.in-formation.io/blog/prepare-for-your-heros-journey

Entender el contexto y alinear el objetivo de los pacientes con herramientas que les ayuden a avanzar en los mismos. Aprender que la gamificación no es a?adir puntos y niveles, sino poder generar el mismo estado que las personas consiguen al jugar (seriamente) dentro de la experiencia. Una buena manera en intervenciones de salud mental es crear una narrativa, en la que los pacientes puedan elegir a sus personajes, atributos y desafíos (que le ayuden a proyectarse) y que a través de ciertas dinámicas puedan sentirse seguros de participar y avanzar en su propio proceso.

use reward, badges, self checks, and a game in 3rd person personifying the most common mental issues within a game, showing a character fighting his demons where the user conquers quests or mission by performing tasks (tasks related to things that improve mental health) to unlock acheivements and progress in the game.

In the Octalysis Group, we use a strategic dashboard which helps define certain features necessary for successful design. These include Business Metrics, Desired Actions, Player Types, Win States, Feedback Mechanics and Rewards. Spending time to create this strategic view helps in dictating the strategy for successful gamification design.

I am a big fan of self-determination theory, which I find very helpful, especially in interventions. 1. support autonomy: Let participants make choices and have control over their intervention. 2. Promote competence: Make sure that the gamified elements offer challenges that are at an appropriate level of difficulty. 3. Promote social inclusion: Incorporate social elements into the intervention to create a sense of belonging and support. 4. Continuous feedback: Provide regular feedback on progress and performance, e.g. through a progress bar. 5. Encourage self-reflection: Encourage participants to reflect on their progress and their wellbeing, e.g. diary. 6. Evaluation and adaptation: Continuous evaluation of is crucial.

Guardians : Unite the Realms est un excellent exemple de gamification au service de la santé mentale. Créé par des chercheurs du MIT, il s'appuie sur une version abrégée de l'activation comportementale, une partie clé de la thérapie cognitivo-comportementale (TCC). Ce jeu aide les utilisateurs à sortir du cycle dépressif en les motivant à accomplir des activités dans leur vie quotidienne et à réfléchir sur leurs effets. 80% des utilisateurs ont vu une amélioration de leur humeur grace à ce jeu !

use reward, badges, self checks, and a game in 3rd person personifying the most common mental issues within a game, showing a character fighting his demons where the user conquers quests or mission by performing tasks (tasks related to things that improve mental health) to unlock acheivements and progress in the game.

Gamification can be a useful approach to mental health interventions ? Mobile apps that use game-like elements to encourage mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or mood tracking. ? Virtual reality games that simulate real-world situations to help users manage anxiety or phobias. ?Online platforms offering educational games or simulations to teach skills like emotional regulation or problem-solving. ?Wearable devices that integrate gamification to encourage healthy behaviors impacting mental well-being. Gamification can increase engagement, motivation, and skill development. It provides a safe environment for experiential learning and can help collect data for personalization.

Criar atividades que ajudem no cuidado com a saude mental. No meu caso inclui na lista de atividades: - Medita??o - Higiene do Sono - Reduzir a jornada de trabalho - Aprendi a Falar “n?o” - Reduzir consumo de cafeína Todas elas gamificadas e que a cada final de mês eu trocava por alguma recompensa.

Hay un ejemplo histórico en salud al menos sobre la gamificación con un videojuego. Inició con Captain Novolin de Nintendo en 1990, ense?ando sobre el consumo de azúcar. Actualmente, apps como Headspace, Calm y MyFitnessPal, incorporan mecánicas de juego para promover hábitos saludables, convirtiendo rutinas en experiencias motivadoras. Plataformas online como Curatio y PatientsLikeMe conectan a personas con condiciones similares, ofreciendo apoyo social y reforzando la salud a través de desafíos y recompensas. Aunque no es una cura universal, la gamificación se destaca como una estrategia efectiva para fomentar el bienestar físico y mental de forma atractiva.

Some benefits are: - Your patients consistently attend the therapy sessions. - Provides clear guidelines and rewards for patients to take action and change their behaviors, step by step. - Some gamification methodologies are specifically created to promote habit formation, which can be foundational to change people's lives (exercise more, check on your relatives, healthier eating, work productivity, etc.)

In some cultures, mental health can be seen as a taboo to discuss openly, which makes it challenging to have meaningful conversations on the subject without offending certain parties or feeling uncomfortable. By incorporating gamification, the gamified experience can be made the main focus which then allows users to broach the subject while shifting the focus away from themselves.

Gamification offers several benefits for mental health interventions. Firstly, it increases engagement and motivation by making therapy more enjoyable and interactive. Clients are more likely to participate actively in interventions when they are presented in a gamified format. Additionally, gamification can improve outcomes by encouraging adherence to treatment plans and promoting positive behavior change. Finally, gamification allows for real-time monitoring and feedback, enabling mental health professionals to track progress and adjust interventions as needed. From my experience, I've observed that gamified interventions can lead to greater client satisfaction and better treatment outcomes.

As an NLP mental health practitioner and a global Gamification designer, here are a few benefits I found so far, contact me for more info: Increases engagement and motivation in therapy. Encourages regular participation and adherence to treatment. Provides a sense of accomplishment and progress. Offers opportunities for social support and interaction. Makes learning coping skills more enjoyable and accessible. Reduces stigma associated with seeking mental health support. Allows for personalized and adaptive interventions. Enhances self-awareness and emotional regulation skills.

La gamificación puede transformar las intervenciones de salud mental al hacerlas más atractivas y efectivas. Al incorporar elementos de juego, se mejora la motivación y el compromiso de los usuarios, facilitando la adopción de hábitos saludables. Esto no solo aumenta la adherencia a las terapias, sino que también fomenta un mayor bienestar general. Para los profesionales, la gamificación proporciona datos valiosos y retroalimentación en tiempo real sobre el progreso del cliente, permitiendo intervenciones más personalizadas y ajustadas a sus necesidades. Además, hace que las intervenciones sean más accesibles y escalables, alcanzando a un mayor número de personas.

Gamification can often be perceived by some as just being a game for entertainment due to its use of game elements. Pairing that perception with a topic like mental health may lead to some unwanted associations, especially if the gamified experience is designed very much like a commercial game rather than a serious experience. Designers would need to carefully curate the gamified experience to avoid offending users by maintaining a serious yet approachable tone for users to engage with meaningfully.

Unfortunately, in design, there is often an element of scalability roll-up to a larger audience. There is also the ethics issue where we need to be careful and prototype/test the output in order to ensure that the desired actions are promoted and not unintended actions which can happen.

La gamificación enfrenta varios desafíos en las intervenciones de salud mental. Es crucial enfocarse no solo en los comportamientos y hábitos del usuario, sino también en aquellos que promueven el acompa?amiento proactivo de los profesionales. Dise?ar experiencias que verdaderamente motiven cambios sostenibles en el comportamiento es complejo y requiere una comprensión profunda de las motivaciones intrínsecas y extrínsecas. Además, asegurar que los profesionales de la salud puedan integrar estas herramientas de manera efectiva en su práctica diaria es fundamental para el éxito a largo plazo. La personalización y el seguimiento continuo son esenciales para mantener el compromiso y la efectividad de las intervenciones.

While gamification holds great promise, it's crucial to avoid the pitfalls of over-competition or reliance on extrinsic rewards. Mental health is deeply personal, and if clients feel pressured by the mechanics, such as maintaining streaks or comparing themselves to others on leaderboards, it could exacerbate stress or anxiety. Furthermore, not all clients are equally motivated by gamified elements, so it's essential to ensure that the design remains flexible and personalized to avoid diminishing the therapeutic value.

To engage and motivate clients, mental health professionals can leverage gamification by integrating goal-setting, progress tracking, and rewards into therapy. For instance, using a mental health app that incorporates game elements like challenges and achievements can enhance client engagement. Additionally, for those interested in exploring gamification for mental health, resources like 'The Gamification of Learning and Instruction' by Karl Kapp provide valuable insights. Engaging with online communities such as Gamify for Good offers a platform to share experiences and stay updated on innovative approaches. #Gamification #MentalHealth

Para saber mais sobre é importante buscar literatura acadêmica, como artigos e revis?es sistemáticas, que analisam a eficácia e as metodologias. Alem disso participar de workshops e eventos específicos pode proporcionar aprendizados práticos e oportunidades de networking. Outra coisa que pode colaborar muito ao aprendizado é acompanhar organiza??es e profissionais que sao especialistas nisso e contribuem através de redes sociais e plataformas acadêmicas, aqui deixo a dica pra acompanhar o Yu-kai Chou como referência.

Considerar que el objetivo de la gamificación en si mismo no es generar mayor compromiso, mayor motivación, o entre los otros tipos de beneficios que por lo general se mencionan. Esos son efectos del dinamismo que genera, no obstante, mi opinión personal es que el objetivo de la gamificación es cómo hacer los procesos de cambio y promoción de hábitos, comportamientos o costumbres sean más atractivos, amenos y agradables (experiencia).