Mental disorders are common, affecting nearly a billion people worldwide. Yet, existing treatments have struggled to meet this overwhelming need. Many digital interventions are being developed to address this challenge, but they often face three critical barriers:
- Treatment gap: Many interventions fail to reach all those who need them.
Engagement gap: High dropout rates limit intervention effectiveness. - Implementation gap: Translating interventions from research to real-world healthcare settings remains a major challenge.
Game-based interventions have the potential to address these gaps. These interventions aim to make mental health treatment more approachable, captivating, and effective by using elements from entertainment games. However, designing them requires expertise in two distinct fields: game design and health care.
Novel research at Aalto University investigates how to bridge these distinct domains. The study introduces the TEME framework to guide the design and development of game-based interventions through four key themes:
- Target Audience: Successful interventions require a deep understanding of the people they aim to help.
- Engagement: Interventions should be evaluated based on usage and user experience.
- Mechanisms of Action: As medical devices, these interventions must be rooted in prior research.
- Effectiveness: The interventions must be designed and evaluated for their health impact.
By taking this holistic approach, the TEME framework provides a roadmap for creating meaningful game-based interventions. This perspective is vital for bridging the treatment, engagement, and implementation gaps, and ultimately making mental health care more accessible and effective.
Read more here: https://games.jmir.org/2023/1/e42173
Reference
Lukka, L., & Palva, J. M. (2023). The Development of Game-Based Digital Mental Health Interventions: Bridging the Paradigms of Health Care and Entertainment. JMIR Serious Games, 11:e42173. https://doi.org/10.2196/42173