S3E4: Dr. Jacqui Nortje ＜＞ Reaching 700k people through Vitality Health’s ‘Active Rewards’
Roll on Episode 4!
We’re joined by Dr. Jacqui Nortje to explore her work and game development at Discovery and Vitality Health.
Jacqui plunged into the world of behavioural science in 2015, where her fascination with gamification took off. What started as a spark of curiosity became a full-blown passion, leading her to pursue a PhD at Wits Business School on the Effects of goal framing in Gamification.
In this episode, we explore:
Vitality Health’s ‘Active Rewards’ programme, and the development Process, learnings and impact of the programme over the last 10 years to over 700,000 people.
That variety IS the spice of life, and the spice OF game mechanics; using data science to create more options and tailoring of game mechanics, rather than just adding more incentives.
And with such a range of player types, the importance of ‘personalised gamification’ to engage both the ‘Ultra active’ rewards players to the players who are moving from inactive to active for the first time in possibly many years.
And the balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, setting a Good Goal and some of the ethics and morals of gamification….... and potential unintended consequences of gamification and behavioural science.
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47:19
S3E3: Dr. Amy Duncan ＜＞ Making Players the Hero of their Journey in Therapeutic Games
We’re already at Episode 3!
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Amy Duncan to explore her work and game development at Sea Monster Impact Games Studio.
Amy has a PhD in Neuropsychology and is a registered Neuropsychologist with a strong background in education and academia. She is hugely passionate about using games to drive learning and behaviour change at scale to create a positive impact in the world.
In this episode, we explore:
Having the intuition to lead you to knocking on a game studio's CEO's door because you’re so passionate about serious & impactful games
Creating Human-centered and user-centered and designing games where players become their heroes in their own journey, as a framework for translating gameplay into new knowledge and new real-world behaviors.
The therapeutic experience of games, connecting with mind, body, environment and music with examples like ‘the last my-stro’ supporting people with PTSD.
https://www.seamonster.digital/
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45:26
S3E2: Sam Knowles ＜＞ Story Telling and non-Digital Games Influencing Patient-Centered Drug Development Decision Making
Roll on episode 2!
In this episode we’re joined by Sam Knowles to explore his work with Novartis is developing games to encourage staff to think through the many facets involved in pharmaceutical drug research, development and delivery from patient and stakeholder perspectives.
Sam is the Chief Data Storyteller at Insight Agents and the author of the Using Data Better trilogy of books “Narrative by Numbers”, “How to be Insightful” and “Asking Smarter Questions”.
Sam is also an Advisory Council Member for the Harvard
Business Review, is Vice President of Brighton Chamber of Commerce and to finish off this list, and Sam is the host of the Podcast ‘Data Malarkey’
In this episode we explore:
The games Sam created with Novartis to provide professionals with a fun way to explore the options for patient-focused drug design and delivery, rather than following the industry default of another ‘patient involvement panel’.
The value of ‘physicality’ in non-digital, analogue games to create in-person connections and conversations. How a game can provide a safe space for teams to consider a number of different and sometimes difficult scenarios that professionals working in patient engagement face.
And, the importance of storytelling in games, as data-driven decision-making is challenging, as we make decisions emotionally, because we take cognitive shortcuts, and people remember stories more than statistics; Telling people facts isn’t enough, but through good storytelling in games, this is the potential that can motivate people to change thinking, decision and ultimately behaviours
https://insightagents.co.uk/meet-the-agents/
https://insightagents.co.uk/data-malarkey-podcast/
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45:37
S3E1: Dr. Alexander Fanaroff＜＞Gamification and Financial Incentives, Motivating More Movement for Healthy Hearts
We're back! Series 3 of Health Points is here.
To kick off Series 3, we have an exceptional episode with Dr. Alexander Fanaroff, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
In this episode, we talk through Alexander's pioneering and insightful study: The Effect of Gamification, Financial Incentives, or Both to Increase Physical Activity Among Patients at High Risk of Cardiovascular Events: The BE ACTIVE Randomised Contrlled Trial.
Alexander is a medical doctor of interventional cardiology and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania. He has a specific interest in increasing physical activity in patients with cardiovascular disease, with a keen interest in the role of gamification to achieve this.
In this episode, we explore:
The benefits of physical activity for people living with cardiovascular disease, with benefits far outweighing the risks
The BE ACTIVE study highlights the role of gamification, financial incentives or both to overcome the motivational barriers for people living with a health condition to move more.
And that self-setting goals and being accountable to the reaching goals (to ones self and to others) works.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069531
https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/alexander-fanaroff
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39:50
S2E16: Series 2 Finale Live Panel Debate
It's the Health Points Series 2 Finale recorded at the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge Conference, December 2023.
We have a stellar lineup for our first ever in-person recording of Health Points:
Jon Hymus: Managing Director of Innerva - https://www.innerva.com/
Bruce Elliott: CEO of Memory Lane Games - https://www.memorylanegames.com/
Silvia Lin: Founder of Tycho MedLink - www.tychomedlink.co.uk
A brilliant discussion and debate on the role and future of health gamification.
We will be back with Series 3 in Spring 2024.
Keep gaming and stay healthy, Ben & Pete
Netherlands