Speaker

Name: Games for Health Europe Conference
Start: 2025-03-31T09:00
End: 2025-04-01T18:00

Speaker Info

Biography: Lorenzo James is a PhD Candidate in the Information Systems group at Eindhoven Technical University. He has a background as a game developer in the game industry and as a full-stack software developer creating web applications for governments. He holds a BA in Game Design and Development and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence. His PhD research is conducted in collaboration with the Mental Health and Addiction Care Institute of the Netherlands (GGz Centraal) and focuses on integrating game(-ification) and AI into mobile health applications for patients with Severe Mental Illnesses. Lorenzo has published in peer-reviewed international conference proceedings and presented his work globally. Drawing on his background in game development and AI, he addresses the challenge of making digital health interventions more engaging and entertaining. His research explores using ethical adaptations of engaging dark design patterns often seen in commercial mobile games to improve user engagement in mHealth applications. An example is replacing the real money aspect of microtransaction payments with health-related activity payments. Beyond research, Lorenzo continues to develop games as a hobby and occasionally participates in game jams.

Title: Automated Planning of Entertainment Content for Digital Health Interventions: A Technical Feasibility Study on "Dark" Gamification

Summary: Although mobile health (mHealth) applications have proven effective in promoting healthy behavior change, a key challenge remains: retaining long-term user engagement. Gamification and game design patterns, such as levels, points, and leaderboards, have been shown to increase user engagement. However, unlike mobile games, which are fundamentally designed to be entertaining and engaging, gamified mHealth applications prioritize goals such as behavior change or user education. This often results in health-related content becoming stale and insufficiently engaging to sustain user interest. Many popular mobile games employ "dark game design patterns" to retain engagement. These patterns influence user behavior in ways that benefit developers, such as encouraging longer play sessions or increased spending on in-game content through microtransactions. In our research, we explore how these engagement-retaining dark patterns can be ethically adapted to improve user engagement in mHealth applications. Instead of real-money microtransactions, we propose replacing them with health-related activities as a form of "payment." To support this approach, we developed an AI-based tool for structuring and balancing entertainment and health-related content. This content includes health activities, educational videos, and entertaining mini-games that incorporate ethically adapted dark game design patterns to enhance engagement and promote healthier behaviors.