Games for change have attracted the interest of humanitarian aid organizations and researchers alike. However, their effectiveness to promote behavior such as donating remains unclear. Furthermore, little is known about how key game properties interactivity and presentation mode impact the effectiveness of these games, or how player attitudes and experiences relate to the interplay between game properties and donating behavior. In this study, experimental conditions were systematically varied in their interactivity and presentation mode. Thereby, 234 participants played, watched, or read through one of six variations of the narrative of the game Darfur is Dying. Following this, they were asked to choose the percentage of an unexpected bonus to donate to a charity. While interactivity increased donating by an average of 12%, presentation mode had no significant impact on the percentage donated. Thus, between presentation mode and interactivity, interactivity was found to be the more impactful game property. Moreover, appreciation fully mediated the relationship between interactivity and donating, hinting at its relevance for the evaluation of the effectiveness of games for change.

Abstract. Interactive narratives offer interesting opportunities for the study of the impact of media on behavior. A growing amount of research on games advocating social change, including those focusing on interactive narratives, has highlighted their potential for attitudinal and behavioral impact. In this study, we examine the relationship between interactivity and prosocial behavior, as well as potential underlying processes. A yoked study design with 634 participants compared an interactive with a noninteractive narrative. Structural equation modeling revealed no significant differences in prosocial behavior between the interactive and noninteractive condition. However, support for the importance of appreciation for and engagement with a narrative on subsequent prosocial behavior was observed. In summary, while results shed light on processes underlying the relationship between both noninteractive and interactive narratives and prosocial behavior, they also highlight interactivity as a multifaceted concept worth examining in further detail.

Background Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of loss of control over eating and is related to a higher prevalence of other mental disorders and somatic consequences associated with overweight and obesity. In community-based samples, 2–4% of women and 1–3% men are diagnosed with BED. Psychotherapeutic interventions focusing on maintenance factors of disturbed eating behavior have proven to be effective. However, treatment access is limited for a considerable number of patients with BED. A lack of specialized institutions and treatment resources, but also long distances to treatment facilities for people living in remote or rural areas are often causes of insufficient care. Internet-based guided self-help (GSH) programs have the potential to fill this gap. Methods This project aims to develop and evaluate an Internet-based treatment for BED derived from an evidence-based manualized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The primary goal is to test feasibility and suitability of the Internet-based program and to evaluate the treatment outcome in comparison to a pure and a placebo-inspired waitlist control group (i.e. reduction of binge-eating episodes and eating disorder pathology as primary outcome variables). In total, 60 women and men aged 18–70 years with a BED diagnosis will be recruited. The Internet-based GSH treatment comprises eight sessions followed by three booster sessions. The placebo-inspired waitlist control group receives weekly messages containing information increasing positive expectations regarding the treatment effects during the four-week waiting period. The pure waitlist control group receives weekly messages simply asking patients to fill in a short questionnaire. Discussion The access to evidence-based treatments for BED might be made easier using an Internet-based GSH approach. The present study protocol presents a randomized controlled trial. As well as evaluating the suitability and efficacy of the Internet-based GSH treatment, there will also be a prelimarily investigation on the influence of positive expectations (placebo) for a therapeutic intervention on core symptoms. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00012355 . Registered on 14 September 2017.

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Background This longitudinal mixed methods experimental study aimed to better understand the interplay between digital technology exposure over time, self-efficacy, and prosocial behavior in everyday contexts. Methods 66 psychology students tracked their daily prosocial behavior over three weeks. Additionally, half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive access to an online platform, which made personalized suggestions for prosocial actions to complete. Qualitative poststudy interviews complemented quantitative measures. Results Platform exposure had no measurable impact beyond that of tracking over time on either prosocial behavior or self-efficacy. Tracking increased self-efficacy to perform everyday prosocial actions, but did not affect self-efficacy to impact change. Prosocial behavior was predicted by self-efficacy to impact change. Enjoyment of the platform predicted completing higher numbers of suggested prosocial actions and was related to a higher likelihood to continue using the platform in the future. Avenues for increasing platform effectiveness include context-specific action personalization, an effective reminder system, and better support for the development of self-efficacy to impact change through meaningful actions. Conclusion Technology for prosocial behavior should be enjoyable, capable of being seamlessly integrated into everyday life, and ensure that suggested actions are perceived as meaningful in order to support the sustainable development of self-efficacy and prosocial behavior over time.