2 143 REVIEW OF APPLIED & CASUAL GAMES FOR MENTAL HEALTH Paper Country Target group N % male Age, mean (SD) Age range Intervention arms Intervention characteristics Assessments Variables measured Findings relevant for current review Mannweiler et al. 2023 USA Children recruited from a low-cost community summer camp 72 0.0 9.08 (1.40) 7-12 years 1. Mightier, heart rate biofeedback-based videogame (applied game). 2. Participation in summer camp program activities as usual (active condition). All participants engaged in biweekly social and emotional learning groups. Children in the game group further engaged in one 30-minute session each week for 6 weeks. Children in the control group received no additional services. Pre and post. Internalising symptoms, externalising behaviour, total problem behaviour, (adaptive) emotion regulation, emotional dysregulation, parental stress. Participants in the intervention group exhibited greater levels of adaptive emotion regulation and lower levels of internalising symptoms and externalising behaviour after the intervention. Caregivers of participants in the game group also reported significantly less parenting-related stress after the intervention. Both groups demonstrated significant decreases in emotional dysregulation. Nguyen et al. 2018 Taiwan College students 337 42.7 22.00 (2.13) 20-40 years 1. Playing exergames from the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved software (casual games). 2. Control group (passive condition). 1. Participants were asked to play 1 of 10 exergame programs for 30 minutes once a week for two weeks. 2. Participants completed a questionnaire and came back the following week to complete another questionnaire. Pre and post. Happiness; age, gender, optimism and weight control (moderators) Playing exergames helped to maintain happiness levels and prevented them from decreasing. Perry et al. 2017*** Australia Final year secondary students 540 36.9 16.70 (0.51) 16-18 years 1. SPARX-R (applied game). 2. Control intervention attention-matched control condition (lifestyle; active condition) Both conditions were delivered weekly in 7 modules, each taking approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The intervention was completed over a 5 to 7 weeks period. Pre, post, 6- and 18months after baseline (FU). Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation, personal and perceived stigma toward depression, academic performance; gender, streaming status, living situation (control variables). Compared to the control condition, participants in the intervention group showed reduced depressive symptoms at post-test and the 6-months FU. Anxiety symptoms reduced for both groups from baseline to post-test. No group differences were found on the secondary outcomes.
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