Research-based Game Development
Playnormous games are created using behavior-change theory as their foundation. Games are designed to change health behaviors by affecting mediators such as skills, confidence, and self-efficacy. This includes:
- Social cognitive theory: modeling healthy behaviors, enhancing skills, increasing confidence.
- Self-determination theory and Theory of Flow: fun experience, immediate feedback in games, and personal expression through monster world and avatar.
- Elaboration likelihood model: gain and maintain person’s attention, immerse player in a fanciful monster world and story-based animations.
- Theory of planned behavior: increase player’s belief that they have the power to change their diet or exercise habits.
Playnormous also uses the research community to field test its games from conception to final product. Kids recruited by the Children’s Nutrition Research Center play game prototypes. Dr. Cynthia Phelps of The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Health Information Sciences leads the beta testing team. The goal of testing every game is to ensure that they are not only educational and understandable but also appealing and fun.
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