Toru Fujimoto1)
1)The University of Tokyo
The potential of digital games has expanded beyond entertainment to address various social issues. One example is the concept of “serious games.” These gained prominence in the 2000s, and are designed to promote behavioral change, knowledge acquisition, and awareness in fields such as education, healthcare, welfare, environmental issues, and politics. These applications have gained international traction, particularly in the healthcare sector, where interdisciplinary initiatives have been implemented within the “Games for Health” framework. This paper reviews recent research trends in serious games, presents practical applications in the medical field, and discusses future prospects in the field.
Yosuke Ishii1)2)3)4)5),,Kairi Miyazakii1)2), Keiji Muramatu1)2)
1) Medical Corporation Ouchino Clinic
2) omniheal inc.
3) Entertainment and Care Research Institute
4) Department of Digital Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kochi University
5) Playful Health Tech Lab, Graduate School, Digital Hollywood University
In recent years, it has been recognized that serious games can be used in healthcare to induce behavioral change and health communication, especially for populations uninterested in conventional medical messaging. This study examined two case studies developed and implemented by the author: “Unkore,” a gamified mobile role-playing game aimed at promoting colorectal cancer screening through stool observation, and “Ending Game,” a board game designed to facilitate dialogue about advance care planning. Using behavior change theories such as self-determination theory, the transtheoretical model, and nudge theory, this study analyzed the effectiveness, participant feedback, and ethical considerations of these implementations. The findings indicate short-term improvements in health awareness and conversational readiness, but also highlight challenges in maintaining engagement and ensuring responsible design. These insights could inform the consideration of serious games as a strategy for improving medical communication.
Mano Soshi1)
1)BonBon inc
This paper examines the Medical Game Center (MGC) as an experimental framework for rethinking science communication in healthcare. Drawing on the embodied and interactive affordances of play, the MGC explores how game-based experiences can transform the transmission of medical knowledge into shared, first-person learning encounters.
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