Quiet Pandemic Amid COVID-19: A literature review on gamification for mental health

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 affects individuals both physically and mentally. The key is to address emerging needs with a modest technique that helps boost the positive approach in individuals. Literature defines Gamification as engaging users with the non-game approach, using game design elements. Its growing popularity is evident in other fields, such as finance and retail.

Objective: This research aims to study the available literature that analyzes and understands using the Gamification approach for mental health in the pandemic.

Methods: The author performed a systematic literature review using the PRISMA technique among the selected articles published until Jul 2023, focusing on Gamification, mental health, and COVID-19 in highly reputed record databases, which were peer-reviewed studies. Therefore, the studies using the standard international language of English were eligible for this Study.

Results: The Study identified elevated articles exploring Gamification through mobile application software, web-based platforms, and other tools since COVID-19 limited in-person social contact for individual safety during peak time.

Conclusion: There are limited studies of Gamification in mental health, and the existing studies suggest that Gamification supports the betterment of mental health. Future studies can explore the different areas of mental health with gamification-based applications or gamified approaches.