Game on: Behavioral modification through AI

Seriously Fun: The art of making boring, fun through games

The concept of 'Serious Games' isn't new. Its roots trace back to 1970 when Clark Abt first introduced the term. He wrote a compelling idea in the first chapter of his book:

"A logical model is often exercised most effectively when used by human players as a kind of game. In such a game, the participants learn the logic of the process they are studying by participating in it and seeing the consequences of their decisions."

This idea could be rephrased as, "Instruction to change behavior is inherently dull. But, design behavior change interventions with moments of self-discovery and joy, and you transform the learning experience."

This concept has proven successful across various domains, demonstrating that when a task is integrated into an engaging game format, motivation and participation skyrocket.

?Consider the world of entertainment, where games like Microsoft Flight Simulator not only amused but also educated. Players are drawn into the world of aviation, learning the intricacies of flight mechanics while passing time. Then there are training simulators used in professional sports like Formula 1 racing. These simulators blend the thrill of gaming with practical skill development, improving real-world performance through virtual practice. My favourite example is Duolingo, which In 2023, reported a revenue >$500 million, a testament to the effectiveness and popularity of its game-based learning approach. It turns the daunting task of learning a new language into a series of rewarding, bite-sized challenges, keeping learners engaged and motivated through rewards.

The secret sauce behind these successes lies in the core game loop design– a repetitive cycle of actions that players find rewarding. This loop keeps players engaged, disguising the task within layers of gameplay. The player, motivated by the game’s mechanics, remains oblivious to the fact that they are actually performing a task, often one which they would find tedious outside the game's context in real-life. By embedding a task within a well-designed game, we can make the learning or training process not just tolerable, but enjoyable. Like in Pediatric pharmacology, the art of lacing syrups with sugar – the learning or training objectives are there, but they're presented in such a way that the player doesn't just tolerate them but actively enjoys and engages with them.

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Games in Health: How might we make serious games work for health outcomes??

I’m particularly bullish on enhancing health outcomes, with a blend of purpose and play. Consider, for instance, the way these games can make mundane tasks engaging, transform tiresome health tasks into captivating, enjoyable activities. As developers and architects of behaviour change, our leverage lies with not just attention but engagement to reshape and rehabilitate detrimental habits. Take the example of rehab exercises, typically seen as monotonous or strenuous. These can become parts of a quest where each movement brings the player closer to a tangible goal, turning a gruelling routine into an anticipated activity, and dopamine release. As a developer therein lies our ability to influence, manipulate and break detrimental habits using the escape of engagement.

Similarly in medical education and training, traditionally reliant on phantoms and cadavers, there’s scope with games and even AR. Simulating complex surgical procedures or emergency scenarios, serious games could provide a risk-free, immersive environment for learning and practicing critical skills. This isn't just about replicating real-life situations in a digital realm; it's about enriching the learning experience. Just like F1 drivers exploring simulations before racing on the track or air force pilots exploring crash free runs taking off in the cockpit - students and professionals can repeatedly engage with these simulations, each time gaining deeper insights, honing decision-making skills, and understanding nuanced aspects of their field that are difficult to capture in traditional educational settings. This bridging of the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application could also be an equaliser in terms of quality of education. This would provide us with the missing 10,000 hours.

Bringing this full circle - imagine a game that teaches patients about managing chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Patients can learn about medication adherence, dietary choices, and lifestyle changes in a format that is not just informative, but also motivating and retention-friendly. By placing the patient in the driver's seat of their health journey within the game, we can foster a sense of control and understanding that's often missing in conventional patient education. This is why in our first release of Fitterfly JEDi, we added a mythbusting game instead of a traditional FAQ and LMS approach. ?

Games & AI: Endless personalisation, expansive gameplays and loops generated on the fly?

The power of these games lies not just in surface-level engagement but in their ability to collect data, learn, and adapt. In part 1 of Adaptive Intuition, we discussed Contextual Personalisation. ?Imagine a health game that not only knows your name but understands your dietary inclinations, exercise routines, and even the nuanced ebb and flow of your motivation levels. By continuously analysing your data, the game customizes challenges, adjusts goals, and provides feedback, crafting a health journey that's as unique as your DNA. The result would be a bespoke health experience, one that resonates more effectively with the user, driving not just adherence but enjoyment in what was once a tedious task.

For instance, a person struggling with weight management is no longer just tracking calories and steps. Instead, they embark on a quest, where each healthy meal or completed exercise unlocks new levels, achievements and story arcs. These aren't arbitrary rewards; they're tailored acknowledgments of personal progress (read as dopamine), making the journey towards health feel less like a chore and more fulfilling. ?

The role of AI will be central in seamlessly gathering data and providing instant insights, condensing extensive guidance protocols into digestible, bite-sized pieces for adaptive game mechanics, ultimately leading to a highly responsive and customized healthcare experience. They're not static, one-size-fits-all pathways. Instead, they evolve based on user interaction. For someone managing diabetes, the game might focus on blood sugar control challenges. For someone battling depression, it might generate scenarios promoting mindfulness or social interaction. This responsive gameplay ensures that every user's journey is unique, aligned with their specific health goals and challenges.

Conclusion

For us to succeed with deploying serious games in healthcare we need to think about merging the allure of entertainment with the substance of education, and the captivation of engagement with the strength of empowerment. These games must not only intrigue but also inform, not just captivate but empower. To create a paradigm where health tasks are no longer chores to endure but challenges to embrace. The real Boss-fight is conquering health outcomes in real-life. ?We’re not just talking Dx, Rx, Tx, DTx, we need a new term – Gx!