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Game On: Gamification Revolutionising Rehab and Therapy · MSKMag OutLoud

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  SPEAKER_00: Game on!
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  SPEAKER_00: Gamification, revolutionising rehab and therapy.
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  SPEAKER_00: Written by Ben Wilkins.
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  SPEAKER_00: This article is sponsored by PhysEquip.
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  Your go-to for clinical devices such as shockwave and
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  diagnostic ultrasound machines.
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  SPEAKER_00: The motivation problem.
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  SPEAKER_00: Anyone who's ever faced rehabilitation after an injury,
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  SPEAKER_00: surgery or illness knows that recovery isn't just about the body.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a mind game.
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  The repetition,
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  the discomfort and the slow pace of progress can sap
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  motivation.
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  SPEAKER_00: You have heard the words before.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'll do it later.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's boring.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's repetitive or I can't find the time.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet consistency is everything in rehab.
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  SPEAKER_00: Missed sessions mean missed milestones.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever heard me speak at a conference,
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  SPEAKER_00: a couple of my go-to phrases are,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's not a knowledge deficit,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's a behavior deficit.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it's not that people don't know better, they don't do better.
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  SPEAKER_00: Pretty much everyone has got the memo.
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  SPEAKER_00: Rehab exercises are important.
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  SPEAKER_00: They know that eating more veggies is important.
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  SPEAKER_00: They know that going for a walk more often is important.
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  SPEAKER_00: But knowing doesn't always translate to doing.
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  But we are evolutionarily hardwired to seek calorific food,
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  conserve energy and avoid pain.
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  SPEAKER_00: If we're going to overcome these physiological barriers to achieve both
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  SPEAKER_00: rehabilitation and public health goals,
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  we're going to need to pull on more motivational strings than
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  just saying it's good
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  SPEAKER_00: for you or it's important.
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  We've got to find a way to pull the levers that lead to
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  endorphin pathways,
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  SPEAKER_00: and where we can leverage fun and social connections,
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  we may stand a chance of motivating society to actively engage
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  in their rehab and
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  SPEAKER_00: treatment.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here's where gamification,
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  SPEAKER_00: the use of game-like elements in non-game contexts,
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  SPEAKER_00: is stepping in to change the rules of recovery.
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  What if your daily exercise routine could feel more like a
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  challenge than a chore?
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  What if your progress was visualized as levels completed,
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  trophies unlocked or goals achieved?
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  SPEAKER_00: For many people, that's not just a fun idea.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's the difference between giving up and getting better.
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  SPEAKER_00: Taking serious games seriously.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's just Super Mario and Minecraft, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: The games industry is larger than the film and music industry combined.
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  SPEAKER_00: The gaming industry is huge because games work,
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  SPEAKER_00: and they work by understanding human motivation at its core.
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  SPEAKER_00: At the heart of every successful game lies behavioural design,
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  SPEAKER_00: mechanics that reward effort,
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  SPEAKER_00: provide instant feedback,
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  SPEAKER_00: and deliver a satisfying sense of progression.
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  These are the very same principles that rehabilitation
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  motivation struggles with.
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  SPEAKER_00: And gaming isn't a niche pastime anymore.
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  SPEAKER_00: An estimated one third of the world's population,
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  SPEAKER_00: between 2.7 and 3.3 billion people,
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  SPEAKER_00: play games regularly.
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  Nearly half of all players are female and more than a quarter
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  are aged over 45.
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  SPEAKER_00: Take Pokemon Go, for example.
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  When it launched back in 2016,
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  it got people walking outdoors in record numbers.
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  SPEAKER_00: By 2019,
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  SPEAKER_00: players had collectively walked over 23 billion kilometres,
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  SPEAKER_00: the equivalent of 30,000 round trips from Earth to the moon.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it's not just teenagers.
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  SPEAKER_00: One in four players are over 50.
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  SPEAKER_00: Games aren't just entertainment.
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  SPEAKER_00: They're engines for behaviour change.
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  SPEAKER_00: Turning therapy into play.
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  SPEAKER_00: At its heart, gamification is simple.
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  SPEAKER_00: It takes what makes games engaging,
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  SPEAKER_00: feedback,
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  SPEAKER_00: goals,
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  SPEAKER_00: rewards,
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  SPEAKER_00: progress,
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  SPEAKER_00: plus a bit of collaboration and competition,
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  SPEAKER_00: and applies those elements to everyday tasks.
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  SPEAKER_00: In rehab,
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  that means embedding game mechanics into rehabilitation
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  exercises to make them more
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  SPEAKER_00: interactive and rewarding.
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  Instead of being told to squat 10 times or balance on one leg
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  for 30 seconds,
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  you might be steering a virtual boat by moving your shoulder or
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  helping a digital
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  SPEAKER_00: character jump by shifting your weight.
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  Each correct movement earns points,
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  visual rewards,
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  or unlocks a new challenge.
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  SPEAKER_00: These are more than digital gimmicks.
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  SPEAKER_00: They engage the brain's reward system,
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  SPEAKER_00: releasing dopamine,
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  SPEAKER_00: the feel-good neurotransmitter,
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  SPEAKER_00: and turning repetitive motion into a satisfying,
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  SPEAKER_00: measurable experience.
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  SPEAKER_00: From clinic to console, the rise of rehab tech.
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  SPEAKER_00: The idea of using games in healthcare isn't entirely new.
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  SPEAKER_00: Early research into exergaming,
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  SPEAKER_00: combining exercise and gaming,
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  SPEAKER_00: took off with the Nintendo Wii in the mid-2000s.
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  Therapists quickly noticed that balance games and virtual
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  sports helped pace