What are Health Games?
Gaming technology solving healthcare challenges
Health games – also known as games for health, serious games, or applied games – are games designed with a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The concept combines pedagogy, game mechanics, and behavioral psychology with clinical healthcare expertise and practice. In other words, health games are about using gaming technology to solve healthcare challenges across a broad spectrum, from rehabilitation and treatment to training and prevention.
The underlying technology spans a wide range. Virtual Reality (VR) can make rehabilitation less monotonous, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can tailor treatments and experiences to the individual patient, and Extended Reality (XR) enables risk-free training and simulation. These are just a few of the tools in the modern health game toolkit. However, the common denominator is not the technology itself; rather, it is how game design, gameplay, and game logic can make tasks that otherwise seem challenging, tedious, or frightening much more engaging, motivating, and manageable.
Personal mastery as a tool
When motivation, knowledge, and practical experience interact
Game-based experiences tap into some of our most fundamental human drivers. By combining rewards, emotional triggers, and social connection, they activate multiple areas of the brain simultaneously. This transforms an otherwise passive learning process into an active experience driven by diverse scenarios and storytelling. It creates a level of engagement where instinct, cognition, and curiosity work in harmony – mirroring how our brains naturally learn and find motivation.
A key factor in this process is the experience of personal mastery. When individuals feel they are mastering a task, their intrinsic motivation and belief in their own capabilities are strengthened. While external tasks and long-term rewards often fail to motivate, game mechanics turn this on its head by continuously adjusting the level of challenge to match the individual's skill level. This ensures gradual progress, increases tolerance for mistakes, and sustains effort over time. In this way, a sense of mastery translates into lasting learning, behavioral change, and enhanced practical competence.
What solutions are available?
Health games come in many different forms and serve a variety of purposes. Technologies like VR and XR are industry veterans when it comes to training, rehabilitation, and simulated high-risk scenarios. Yet, the solutions span a wide spectrum: from readily accessible mobile apps that help patients manage their diagnoses or build healthier habits, to specialized video games for physical therapy and rehabilitation designed to improve fine motor skills. For healthcare professionals and students, screen-based simulation games are used to practice clinical decision-making or handle difficult patient conversations, allowing users to explore the consequences of their choices in a completely safe environment.
When gaming becomes more than entertainment
There are many cases where "mainstream" games end up delivering positive health benefits, leading to their adoption in professional healthcare settings. The VR hit Beat Saber – a rhythm-based game where players slash targets to the beat of music – is an excellent example of a game being used for physical activity, body coordination, and mental stimulation. Another notable example is My Child Lebensborn, a narrative-driven mobile game developed by Sarepta Studio and Teknopilot. The game places empathy at its core, tackling challenging themes like bullying and social exclusion by casting the player as the adoptive parent of a "Lebensborn" child in post-WWII Norway.
What can you expect to see at EHiN?
This year, EHiN is dedicating a special pavilion to Games for Health in collaboration with Games for Health Europe, aiming to highlight the innovative health gaming solutions emerging from Norway and the rest of Europe. Visiting the pavilion will offer you both hands-on experiences and the opportunity to meet knowledgeable experts who can explain how these systems are built. We hope you will discover something completely new and leave with fresh insights into how gaming can drive a better everyday healthcare experience.
For years, Games for Health Europe(opens in new tab) has designed, championed, and advocated passionately for health games. At last year’s EHiN, they hosted a workshop(opens in new tab) where they played a card game alongside attendees to map out patient motivation. Together with them, we aim to elevate this discipline even further in Norway
Will we see you in November?
(opens in new tab)
(opens in new
