10 February 2025

Bridging Gaming and Health(care)

Seed Fund project on developing a Joint Masters Programme focusing on Games for Health. Although Serious Games have demonstrated their value in improving health outcomes, the current deficit in knowledge and educational programmes poses a significant challenge that must be overcome.

The Seed Fund initiative "Unite! Games for Health" aims to establish an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programme (EMJM) focused on the development and application of Serious Games for health, known as Games for Health (G4H). It seeks to bridge this gap by fostering collaboration between game developers and healthcare experts. By bringing together these two fields, they aim to create a comprehensive understanding of how Serious Games can be effectively utilized in various healthcare settings. Serious Games are designed not only for entertainment, but also to achieve specific goals such as enhancing learning, promoting behaviour change and supporting health prevention and rehabilitation. 

Despite the recognised benefits of G4H in various healthcare contexts, there remains a significant gap in awareness among healthcare professionals and a lack of educational programmes dedicated to creating effective G4H solutions. Within the Unite! Network, a team of researchers led by TU Professor Stefan Göbel will analyse existing G4H approaches, identify best practices and create a comprehensive programme of study. 

The initiative will specifically address the training needs of both – game development students and healthcare professionals. It aims to equip students with knowledge of G4H characteristics and enable healthcare professionals to understand game development processes, thus fostering better collaboration and decision-making on G4H applications. 

As part of the project, a thorough study programme will be developed, including mandatory and optional modules tailored to the needs of various disciplines. Additionally, the initiative will showcase existing Serious Games as best practice examples, providing a training and simulation platform to demonstrate the potential impact of G4H in real-world healthcare settings. 

The project builds on collaborative efforts initiated at TU Darmstadt, with contributions from leading research groups in Serious Games and artificial intelligence in medicine.

“By leveraging existing resources and expertise, this initiative not only aims to enhance the educational landscape but also strives to improve healthcare outcomes through innovative game-based solutions”