Analysis of the roles of "serious games" in helping teach health-related knowledge and skills and in changing behavior.

Researchers are developing sophisticated games specifically targeted to teach health-related knowledge and skills and to change health-related behaviors. Although these interventions, generally called "serious games," show promise, there has been limited evaluation of their effectiveness. This article offers a broad "consumer guide" for evaluating such health education interventions. Improving the development and evaluation of health-related serious games and educating potential purchasers of such products to be knowledgeable, demanding consumers will help move the field of serious games from "looks promising" to determining where such interventions will be effective and where they will not.