A Review of Serious Gaming as an Intervention for HIV Prevention.

Authors :: Smith AU
Khawly GM
Jann J
Zetina APM
Padilla J
Schnall R
Source :: Current HIV/AIDS reports [Curr HIV/AIDS Rep] 2023 Aug; Vol. 20 (4), pp. 181-205. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 22.
Publication Year :: 2023
Abstract: Purposeof Review: Young people face the highest number of new HIV infections globally. With today's increasing access to smartphones, serious games have been viewed as an effective means of improving knowledge and behavioral outcomes. This systematic review describes current HIV prevention serious games and their relationship with HIV-related knowledge and behavioral outcomes.<br />Recent Findings: A search of HIV prevention serious games was conducted using PubMed, CINAL, IEEE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. A total of 31 papers were identified, which consist of 20 studies and 11 protocols. Results for knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors were mixed. Two interventions reported improvement in PrEP usage and optimal dosing. Gaming appears to be a viable and engaging method to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral outcomes to promote HIV prevention among diverse groups of adolescents and young adults globally. However, additional research is needed to understand how to implement this modality effectively.<br /> (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)