Personalization in Game Design for Healthcare: A Literature Review on its Definitions and Effects

The Personalized Design Process model serves as a framework for integrating stakeholder involvement into the development of healthcare games, categorizing the lifecycle into three distinct phases: problem definition, product design, and tailoring. By analyzing 62 studies across diverse therapeutic areas—including stroke rehabilitation, cognitive training, mental health, and chronic disease management—the research evaluates how involving end-users and domain experts influences user motivation, interaction behavior, and clinical health outcomes.

While current literature suggests that stakeholder participation, particularly during the tailoring phase, correlates with improved engagement and positive health-related transfer effects, the evidence remains largely theoretical. The field currently lacks the empirical rigor necessary to definitively validate the efficacy of these design processes. Methodological shortcomings, such as small sample sizes, a frequent absence of control groups, and the reliance on non-validated measurement tools, prevent the establishment of a clear causal link between personalization strategies and improved patient outcomes.

Future research must transition toward more robust experimental designs to overcome these limitations. Although traditional double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are often impractical within the complex, integrated nature of game design, there is a critical need for larger, more controlled studies. Establishing a clearer understanding of how stakeholder engagement during the problem definition and product design phases impacts the final therapeutic value of healthcare games is essential. Ultimately, the industry requires standardized, high-quality evaluation strategies to move beyond optimistic projections and provide concrete evidence that personalized design meaningfully enhances the effectiveness of digital health interventions.