Can Card Games Be Used to Assess Mild Cognitive Impairment?

Gielis, Karsten; Ferreira-Brito, Filipa; Tournoy, Jos; Abeele, Vero Vanden

doi:10.1145/3130859.3131328

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…To overcome these challenges, researchers must determine ways to measure the signals unobtrusively. For example, research on older adults has leveraged image processing to investigate measuring cognitive performance through the card game Klondike Solitaire [8]. Although measuring low-level interactions is challenging outside of the laboratory context, there are many open questions about which player characteristics can be inferred.…”

Section: Game-based Digital Biomarkersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When behavioral correlates are already known, researchers can develop custom games that are intended to place a player in a situation and monitor their response, response time, or performance. There are several examples of custom assessment games that have been developed to assess aspects of physical [7] and mental [8] health. For example, Sea Hero Quest [9], an internet game to track and assess dementia through navigational skills, can assess a large number of people very quickly, providing huge data sets with information on health decline over time for demographic groups and individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Potential of Game-Based Digital Biomarkers for Modeling Mental Health

Mandryk

Birk

2019

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Assessment for mental health is performed by experts using interview techniques, questionnaires, and test batteries and following standardized manuals; however, there would be myriad benefits if behavioral correlates could predict mental health and be used for population screening or prevalence estimations. A variety of digital sources of data (eg, online search data and social media posts) have been previously proposed as candidates for digital biomarkers in the context of mental health. Playing games on computers, gaming consoles, or mobile devices (ie, digital gaming) has become a leading leisure activity of choice and yields rich data from a variety of sources. Objective In this paper, we argue that game-based data from commercial off-the-shelf games have the potential to be used as a digital biomarker to assess and model mental health and health decline. Although there is great potential in games developed specifically for mental health assessment (eg, Sea Hero Quest), we focus on data gathered “in-the-wild” from playing commercial off-the-shelf games designed primarily for entertainment. Methods We argue that the activity traces left behind by natural interactions with digital games can be modeled using computational approaches for big data. To support our argument, we present an investigation of existing data sources, a categorization of observable traits from game data, and examples of potentially useful game-based digital biomarkers derived from activity traces. Results Our investigation reveals different types of data that are generated from play and the sources from which these data can be accessed. Based on these insights, we describe five categories of digital biomarkers that can be derived from game-based data, including behavior, cognitive performance, motor performance, social behavior, and affect. For each type of biomarker, we describe the data type, the game-based sources from which it can be derived, its importance for mental health modeling, and any existing statistical associations with mental health that have been demonstrated in prior work. We end with a discussion on the limitations and potential of data from commercial off-the-shelf games for use as a digital biomarker of mental health. Conclusions When people play commercial digital games, they produce significant volumes of high-resolution data that are not only related to play frequency, but also include performance data reflecting low-level cognitive and motor processing; text-based data that are indicative of the affective state; social data that reveal networks of relationships; content choice data that imply preferred genres; and contextual data that divulge where, when, and with whom the players are playing. These data provide a source for digital biomarkers that may indicate mental health. Produced by engaged human behavior, game data have the potential to be leveraged for population screening or prevalence estimations, leading to at-scale, nonintrusive assessment of mental health.

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Section: Game-based Digital Biomarkersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Game-Based Digital Biomarkers for Modeling Mental Health

Mandryk

Birk

2019

JMIR Ment Health

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“…This is an important difference from the study of custom-made games for health because existing game features and changes to commercial games are market driven by industry developers. Researchers and developers of VGTx may, therefore, have to be able to rapidly adapt or concentrate on therapeutic interventions/assessments that are not dependent on specific game features (e.g., developing interventions based on a type of computer game such as Solitaire) ( 8 , 48 ) rather than focusing interventions on more specific features such as guild membership. The aforementioned challenges may be addressed by developing constructive partnerships with VGTx stakeholders, because only interdisciplinary scientific, industry, and game community partnerships will strengthen our capacity to engage in VGTx research.…”

Section: Improving Methodological Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Video Games As Therapy: A New Research Agenda to Unlock the Potential of a Global Pastime

et al. 2018

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Emerging research suggests that commercial, off-the-shelf video games have potential applications in preventive and therapeutic medicine. Despite these promising findings, systematic efforts to characterize and better understand this potential have not been undertaken. Serious academic study of the therapeutic potential of commercial video games faces several challenges, including a lack of standard terminology, rapidly changing technology, societal attitudes toward video games, and understanding and accounting for complex interactions between individual, social, and cultural health determinants. As a vehicle to launch a new interdisciplinary research agenda, the present paper provides background information on the use of commercial video games for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental and other health conditions, and discusses ongoing grassroots efforts by online communities to use video games for healing and recovery.

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“…In contrast to other large-scale cognitive practices, participation in these games does not cause fatigue or create a burden that could impede learning. Participants can improve their cognitive skills and academic performance while enjoying the process, as it feels more like leisure than a rigorous training [5,6]. Children participate in various activities that contribute to the normal development of their brains, including reading, playing, sports and spending time with friends [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Computer Games on Cognitive Performance in Pupils

Cohen,

Farraj,

Shance

et al. 2023

IJSEM

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This study investigated the effects of changing the computer game that adolescents play on their cognitive abilities, including concentration, memory, and problem-solving skills at a high level of thinking. The study included a group of 38 adolescents aged 12-13. The "source and imitation" game was employed to test concentration, the "Simon-flashing detection" game to assess memory, and mathematical tasks at an advanced level to evaluate problem-solving skills. The findings of the study indicate that children who played Fortnite for 15 minutes experienced a significant increase in their concentration levels by approximately 43.4 % and by 74 % in memory levels after engaging in a session of Solitaire. Furthermore, the study also examined high-order learning skills in solving mathematical questions, particularly focusing on analysis and mathematical insight. The findings suggest that the time required to solve mathematical problems after playing Fortnite decreased by 41.5 % after engaging in a session of Solitaire, indicating enhanced efficiency in solving higher-order problems. The results demonstrated a substantial improvement in cognitive abilities after playing a challenging computer game compared to a violent computer game. This suggests that engaging in thinking and challenging games significantly enhances the subjects' cognitive abilities. The increase in efficiency in solving higher-order mathematical problems may be attributed to the improvements in memory and concentration among children who played intellectually stimulating and challenging computer games. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce adolescents' exposure to violent computer games and increase their exposure to thinking and challenging games to create a balanced gaming experience.

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Can Card Games Be Used to Assess Mild Cognitive Impairment?

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

The Potential of Game-Based Digital Biomarkers for Modeling Mental Health

The Potential of Game-Based Digital Biomarkers for Modeling Mental Health

Commercial Video Games As Therapy: A New Research Agenda to Unlock the Potential of a Global Pastime

The Impact of Computer Games on Cognitive Performance in Pupils

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