The effectiveness of intervention with board games: a systematic review

Development and Validation of a Game for Older Adults on Lifestyles and Frailty

BACKGROUND

Games are a promising strategy for rehabilitating older adults. The effect of games on promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing frailty remains uncertain. This article aims to describe the process of development and validation of the game "Bem-me-quer para a saúde"® to promote the acquisition of healthy lifestyles and prevent frailty in over 65-year-olds.

METHODS

This study comprised three distinct phases, spanning from December 2023 to June 2024. The first phase comprised a thorough review of the scientific literature on the frailty and lifestyles of older adults, a second phase of game design, and a third phase of content and semantic validation conducted by specialized nurses and older adults.

RESULTS

After revising literature, this study utilized an e-Delphi with a panel of 14 specialist nurses who underwent two rounds of evaluation. The "Bem-me-quer para a saúde"® game includes a puzzle board with 54 pieces and 30 educational cards. In the final phase, we evaluated the game on a cohort of 50 older adults, highlighting its reflective, interactive, and educational aspects.

CONCLUSIONS

The game presented sufficient evidence of content validity and relevance to clinical practice. We should conduct additional research to evaluate its impact on lifestyle modification and frailty prevention.

A Scoping Review of Tabletop Role-Playing Game (TTRPG) as Psychological Intervention: Potential Benefits and Future Directions

Purpose

The present study aimed to investigate how prior research of TTRPG revealed the benefits of TTRPG as a psychological intervention and how further studies can overcome the challenges and limitations of TTRPG in those previous studies.

Methods

The study used Scoping Review to explore the potential benefits of TTRPG. Three research questions were identified (1) the extent to which empirical research has been conducted regarding TTRPG as intervention, (2) the potential of TTRPG mentioned, and (3) the suggestions for future research. The study investigated the last 10 years (ie, 2013 to 2023) of research publications with all research methods included. The search focused on key terms of "Tabletop Role-playing Game", "TTRPG", "Dungeons and Dragons", and terms related to intervention. The databases used were in English and Indonesian and resulted in 109 papers but later eliminated due to various reasons until it became 51 papers to be reviewed.

Results

Of the 51 papers included for final analysis, majority are of exploratory approach (n = 35; eg, literature review and qualitative design studies), indicating that research in TTRPG is still at the emerging stage. Quantitative design studies (n = 12) and mixed-method design studies (n = 4) on TTRPG are the minority. Majority papers (n = 30) are published in the United States, only three papers published in the Asian context, indicating that TTRPG research in the Asian context is scarce.

Conclusion

From existing literature, TTRPG provides benefits to promote cognitive and psychosocial skills, to prevent negative effects and stress, as well as to intervene in psychological problems such as social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and autism spectrum disorders. Further studies can explore the use of TTRPG in Asia-representing collectivistic culture, to employ different systems of TTRPG and to examine the effects of TTRPG using experimental design to overcome the limitations of prior studies.

Let's Play? A Board Health Game Development and Validation for Children with Atopic Dermatitis

Objective: Several health games have been developed for pediatric patients in recent years but few for children with atopic dermatitis (AD). As this chronic disease requires changes in daily habits, this study aimed to develop and validate the content of a board health game for children with AD. Material and Methods: This is a content development and validation study of DermatrilhaTM, a board health game about AD. The instrument aims to promote interactions between children with AD and health care providers and offers the exchange of experiences, feelings, and knowledge about the disease in a playful way. The five stages of development of the board game were (a) planning, (b) development, (c) preparation of content validation questionnaires, (d) evaluation by a committee of experts, and (e) pretest with the target audience. Results: The expert committee group consisted of 20 professionals: 5 physicians specialized in pediatric dermatology, 5 psychologists specialized in health psychology, 5 designers with experience in illustration, and 5 early childhood educators. The target audience consisted of 25 children aged 7-12 years with AD. The evaluation of the expert committee found 0.95 in the general content validity index and 0.92 in the target audience, thus exceeding 0.80 in all items. Conclusion: The board health game Dermatrilha has proven to be a psychoeducational tool for the therapeutic education of children with AD, enabling the exchange of experiences, feelings, and knowledge about the disease among peers and health care providers.

Effectiveness of Comprehensive Intervention Programme on Quality of life, fatigue, self-efficacy, and psychosocial distress among head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy

PURPOSE

The study aimed at evaluating the Effectiveness of Comprehensive Intervention Programme (CIP) on Quality of life (QOL), fatigue, self-efficacy, and psychosocial distress among Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients receiving radiotherapy treatment.

METHODS

Single-centre non-RCT time series study was conducted among 134 HNC patients (67 observed, followed by 67 subjected to CIP). FACT- H&N, FACT-F, Cancer Behavior Inventory and psychosocial distress scales were used to assess QOL, fatigue, self-efficacy, and psychosocial distress respectively. CIP was provided to the intervention arm twice a week during the course of radiation therapy along with the standard care; the control arm received only standard care. Data were collected before commencing radiotherapy, and post-test assessments were carried out at the end of radiotherapy treatment, and at 3 and 6 months after completion of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a statistically significant improvement with CIP in QOL (F (1.917) = 454.103, p = 0.001), fatigue (F (2.106) = 183.775, p = 0.001), self-efficacy (F (2.429) = 190.861, p = 0.001), and psychosocial distress (F (2.288) = 290.105, p = 0.001) in the intervention arm.

CONCLUSION

The CIP implemented to address multitude of issues in HNC patients receiving radiotherapy, proved to be effective in reducing the impact of treatment on QOL, fatigue, self-efficacy and psychosocial distress in HNC patients receiving radiotherapy.

The effect of a bone-preserving board game program on the knowledge, attitudes and preventive behaviors of osteoporosis in older adults

Osteoporosis predisposes to fractures, which affect the quality of life and can be life-threatening. However, the knowledge, attitudes and preventive behaviors of osteoporosis in older adults are insufficient. The aim of this paper was to develop and test the effect of a bone-preserving board game program among older adults. A convenience sample of 85 older adults recruited from two community activity centers in southern Taiwan were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group played a bone-preserving board game for 4 weeks, and the control group participated in routine community center activities. The generalized estimating equation showed significantly larger improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors in the experimental group than in the control group. Board games designed for older adults can support public health education and help prevent osteoporosis. Our results provide a reference for educators, clinical practitioners and researchers.

Digital Gamification Tools to Enhance Vaccine Uptake: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Gamification has been used successfully to promote various desired health behaviors. Previous studies have used gamification to achieve desired health behaviors or facilitate their learning about health.

OBJECTIVE

In this scoping review, we aimed to describe digital gamified tools that have been implemented or evaluated across various populations to encourage vaccination, as well as any reported effects of identified tools.

METHODS

We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, the Web of Science Core Collection, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Academic Search Premier, PsycInfo, Global Health, and ERIC for peer-reviewed papers describing digital gamified tools with or without evaluations. We also conducted web searches with Google to identify digital gamified tools lacking associated publications. We consulted 12 experts in the field of gamification and health behavior to identify any papers or tools we might have missed. We extracted data about the target population of the tools, the interventions themselves (eg, type of digital gamified tool platform, type of disease/vaccine, type and design of study), and any effects of evaluated tools, and we synthesized data narratively.

RESULTS

Of 1402 records, we included 28 (2%) peer-reviewed papers and 10 digital gamified tools lacking associated publications. The experts added 1 digital gamified tool that met the inclusion criteria. Our final data set therefore included 28 peer-reviewed papers and 11 digital gamified tools. Of the 28 peer-reviewed papers, 7 (25%) explained the development of the tool, 16 (57%) described evaluation, and 2 (7%) reported both development and evaluation of the tool. The 28 peer-reviewed papers reported on 25 different tools. Of these 25 digital gamified tools, 11 (44%) were web-based tools, 8 (32%) mobile (native mobile or mobile-enabled web) apps, and 6 (24%) virtual reality tools. Overall, tools that were evaluated showed increases in knowledge and intentions to receive vaccines, mixed effects on attitudes, and positive effects on beliefs. We did not observe discernible advantages of one type of digital gamified tool (web based, mobile, virtual reality) over the others. However, a few studies were randomized controlled trials, and publication bias may have led to such positive effects having a higher likelihood of appearing in the peer-reviewed literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital gamified tools appear to have potential for improving vaccine uptake by fostering positive beliefs and increasing vaccine-related knowledge and intentions. Encouraging comparative studies of different features or different types of digital gamified tools could advance the field by identifying features or types of tools that yield more positive effects across populations and contexts. Further work in this area should seek to inform the implementation of gamification for vaccine acceptance and promote effective health communication, thus yielding meaningful health and social impacts.

Using "board games" to improve the effectiveness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation care for nurses in intensive care unit

AIM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ECMO care board games facilitated teaching approach (ECMO care board games) in enhancing ECMO care knowledge, clinical reasoning and learning engagement among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.

BACKGROUND

ECMO is a highly complex, relatively low-incidence, high-risk clinical life support device system used in the intensive care unit (ICU). Its usage has increased nearly tenfold over the past 30 years. Traditionally, ECMO education has been delivered through classroom teaching, which has demonstrated limited effectiveness in promoting nurses' learning engagement, clinical reasoning competency and confidence. The literature suggests that well-designed board games can enhance learning engagement, stimulate higher-level thinking and improve the effectiveness and confidence of nurses' learning.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental study two-group repeated measure design.

METHODS

A purposive sample of 73 ICU nurses from two campuses of one medical center was recruited (37 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group). The experimental group received ECMO care training through ECMO care board games facilitated teaching approach, whereas the control group completed the training through a traditional teaching approach. Instruments used for data collection include a demographic information sheet, ECMO Care Knowledge Scale, Clinical Reasoning Scale (Huang et al., 2023) and Learning Engagement Scale (Ciou , 2020). Both groups completed a pre-test before the training, a post-test one week after the training and a second post-test three weeks after the training.

RESULTS

Prior to the intervention, there were no significant differences between the two groups in ECMO care knowledge and learning engagement. However, there was a significant difference in clinical reasoning. One week after the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher scores in ECMO care knowledge, clinical reasoning and learning engagement than the control group (p <0.01). Three weeks after the intervention, the experimental group showed significantly higher scores in ECMO care knowledge, clinical reasoning and learning engagement (p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The content for ECMO care is complex and difficult. Board games can enhance ECMO care knowledge, clinical reasoning and learning engagement. This teaching strategy may be applied to learning challenging subjects in the future to improve learning effectiveness. The clinical reasoning framework is conducive to guiding nurses' learning. In future continuing education, board games designed based on the clinical reasoning framework and tailored to the focus of in-service education can effectively enhance nurses' learning effectiveness.

Comparing the effectiveness of board game-based and drill-based education programs in improving Taiwanese nurses' fire safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Fire education is currently dominated by drill-based programs, however only a limited number of participants may take part in fire drills. This gap could be addressed by the development of innovative board game-based educational programs.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to compare the effectiveness of board game-based and drill-based fire safety education programs in improving nurses' fire safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.

METHODS

In this quasi-experimental study, 122 nurses were purposively sampled from a hospital in southern Taiwan. The participants were divided into two groups based on their willingness. Sixty-two nurses in the game-based group took part in an hour-long educational board game for fire safety; and 60 in the drill-based group took part in an hour-long fire drill organized by the hospital. The participants' pre- (T0) and post-intervention (T1) questionnaire scores on fire safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior were recorded. The statistical methods included descriptive statistics and t-tests.

RESULTS

After the interventions, both groups had improved safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. However, from T0 to T1, only fire safety knowledge was significantly higher in the game-based group than in the drill-based group, and there were no significant differences in fire safety attitudes and behavior between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

A board game-based fire education program is similar to a tabletop exercise, and drill-based programs more accurately reflect actual circumstances. Both methods can be applied based on the educational objectives and actual educational settings. The results of this study may function as a reference for designing clinical, educational, and academic interventions for fire safety in healthcare settings.

Learning through fun: board games cafes for undergraduate nursing students

This article discusses the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical board games cafes in an undergraduate nurse education programme. Drawing on previous relevant literature about gaming approaches in education, the benefits and impact on student learning is presented. Thematic analysis of student feedback suggests that participation provided an opportunity to safely practise clinical scenarios and imbed concepts, as well as time to socialise to build support networks. Students also reported gaining confidence for their upcoming clinical placements. The benefits of a social opportunity timetabled during course teaching time was welcomed by students with commitments outside of the programme. The light-hearted cafe style environment can deliver a positive student experience and complement traditional teaching methods. Suggestions for future development include interdisciplinary sessions, development of games more specific to the mental health field and enabling students to get games out of the library for self-directed learning. Further evaluation of the impact of longer term learning through games is required.

Reducing older people's risk of fraud victimization through an anti-scam board game

This study adopted an experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of an anti-scam education program for older adults. Participants in the experimental group (n = 55) first participated in an anti-scam board game and then joined another board game featuring local tea restaurants two weeks later, whereas such order was reversed for the control group (n = 54). Compared with the control group, participants in the experimental group reported significant increases in their self-efficacy in fraud prevention and awareness of scam situations, and a significant decrease in perceived susceptibility to scams immediately and two weeks after the intervention, demonstrating the immediate and the short-term effects of the anti-scam education program in reducing fraud victimization risk of older adults.

Evaluation of the decision-making process within the table-top exercise of the Terror and Disaster Surgical Care (TDSC®) course

PURPOSE

The threat of terror is omnipresent in Europe and the number of attacks worldwide is increasing. The target of attacks in Europe is usually the civilian population. Incalculable dangerous situations at the scene of the event and severe injury patterns such as complex gunshot and explosion injuries with a high number of highly life-threatening people present rescue forces, emergency physicians and subsequently hospitals with medical, organizational as well as tactical and strategic challenges. The Terror and Disaster Surgical Care (TDSC^®) course trains clinical decision-makers to meet these challenges of a TerrorMASCAL in the first 24-48 h.

METHODS

A table-top exercise was developed for the TDSC^® course as a decision training tool, which was prospectively evaluated in six courses. The evaluation took place in 3 courses of the version 1.0, in 3 courses in the further developed version 2.0 to different target values like, e.g., the accuracy of the in-hospital triage. Furthermore, 16 TDSC^® course instructors were evaluated.

RESULTS

For the evaluation, n = 360 patient charts for version 1.0 and n = 369 for version 2.0 could be evaluated. Overall, the table-top exercise was found to be suitable for training of internal clinical decision makers. Version 2.0 was also able to depict the action and decision-making paths in a stable and valid manner compared to the previous version 1.0. The evaluation of the instructors also confirmed the further value and improvement of version 2.0.

CONCLUSION

With this prospective study, the table-top exercise of the TDSC^® course was tested for decision stability and consistency of the participants' decision paths. This could be proven for the selected target variables, it further showed an improvement of the training situation. A further development of the table-top exercise, in particular also using digital modules, will allow a further optimization. http://www.bundeswehrkrankenhaus-ulm.de.

Can Traditional Board Games Prevent or Slow Down Cognitive Impairment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Traditional board games can entail significant skills encompassing several cognitive functions across different domains. Therefore, they may potentially represent effective cognitive interventions in the aging population with or without Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed at verifying the hypothesis that traditional board games can prevent or slow down cognitive decline, through a systematic review on traditional board games and dementia.

METHODS

We searched five databases with tailored search strings. We included studies assessing the impact of board games on elderly subjects at risk of or suffering from cognitive impairment, or subjects with cognitive impairment irrespective of age. Studies where the effect of board games was not separated by cards or other games were excluded. A meta-analysis was performed for specific cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes.

RESULTS

Board games improved mental function, as measured by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p = 0.003) and Mini-Mental State Examination (p = 0.02). Ska and Go improved Trail Making Test -A, while Mahjong improved executive functions. There was no consistent effect across different games on Digit Span or Categorical Fluency. Chess improved quality of life measured with the WHO-QoL-OLD scale (p < 0.00001). Mahjong temporarily improved depressive symptoms. Go increased BDNF levels and left middle temporal gyrus and bilateral putamen metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

Traditional board games may slow global cognitive decline and improve the quality of life in elderly subjects. Different games have varying impacts on specific cognitive domains, possibly mediated by functional and biological factors.

Video games and board games: Effects of playing practice on cognition

The worldwide popularity of playing practices has led to a growing research interest in games' impact on behavior and cognition. Many studies have already reported the benefits of both video games and board games for cognitive functions. However, these studies have mainly defined the term players according to a minimum play time or in connection to a specific game genre. No study has confronted the cognitive implications of video games and board games in the same statistical model. Thus, it remains unclear whether the cognitive benefits of play are due to play time or game type. To address this issue, in this study, we conducted an online experiment in which 496 participants completed six cognitive tests and a playing practice questionnaire. We examined the between the participants' overall video game and board game play times and cognitive abilities. The results demonstrated significant relations between overall play time and all cognitive functions. Importantly, video games significantly predicted mental flexibility, planning, visual working memory, visuospatial processing, fluid intelligence, and verbal working memory performance, while board games were not found to predict any cognitive performance. These findings suggest that video games affect cognitive functions in specific ways compared to board games. We encourage further investigation to consider players' individual differences through their play time and the specific features of the games they play.

Novel Board Game versus Active Case-Based Discussion to Teach Final-Year Veterinary Students the Diagnostic Approach to Clinical Cases

Traditional lectures, where students listen passively, often do not reflect the complexity of real-life decision-making situations. Furthermore, modern students are using online devices for daily activities, and this has a challenging side effect for educators, as many people these days can only maintain their focus if topics are discussed in concise and engaging ways. For these reasons, there is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes. The aim of this study was to introduce a board game based on the Clue game for final-year veterinary students during their practical activity in large animal medicine. This type of learning process was compared with a classical case-based discussion and evaluated via a survey delivered to the students to both test their acquired knowledge and obtain their evaluation of the activity. A total of 49 students were enrolled in this study. While the board game was evaluated significatively better than the traditional class, no statistically significant differences were observed for the answers given to questions assessing their veterinary skills. The proposed game requires few resources other than a case-based visual materials and analyses from clinical patients, a board, two dice, and some imagination to create cases at the appropriate level for students' knowledge. We conclude that this board game-based activity represents innovative techniques to teach clinical approaches in an interactive way with the same utility as a traditional class but is more enjoyable for the students.

Impact of organized activities on mental health in children and adolescents: An umbrella review

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This umbrella review included six systematic reviews of lower quality.

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A small positive impact of organized sport activities on youth mental health was found.

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Only two systematic reviews that studied organized non-sport activities could be included.

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Mixed results were found for impact of organized non-sport activities on youth mental health.

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Mediation or confounding through physical activity needs further study.

Mental health problems are a leading cause of health-related disability among children and adolescents. Organized activities are a possible preventive factor for mental health problems. An aggregated overview of evidence is relevant for youth policymakers and is lacking so far.

Thus we aim to provide an overview of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the impact of participation in organized sport and non-sport activities (e.g. arts, music) on childhood and adolescent mental health. Systematic reviews were identified through a search in five databases (Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science core collection, CINAHL and PsycINFO) on 25-March-2021. Systematic reviews about organized activities and mental health outcomes in 0–21-year-olds published in English were included. Two independent reviewers assessed titles, abstracts and full texts, performed data-extraction and quality assessment using the AMSTAR-2 and assessed the quality of evidence. Out of 833 studies, six were considered eligible. Quality of the reviews ranged from critically low to moderate. Most reviews focused on organized sport activities, focusing on: team sport, level of sport involvement, extracurricular and community sport activities. Indications of a positive impact on mental health outcomes were found for participation in team sport, in (school) clubs, and in extracurricular and community sport and non-sport activities. We found a small positive impact of organized sport activities on mental health outcomes among children and adolescents. This seems not to depend on any specific type of organized sport activity. Limited evidence was found for organized non-sport activities.

Board Game Violetas: the perspective of professionals addressing violence against women

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the potentialities and limits of the board game Violetas to address violence against women, from the perspective of the professionals who work in assisting the victims.

METHOD

This is an interventional study with a qualitative approach. Thirty professionals from the Casas da Mulher Brasileira (Brazilian Women's Houses) in Brasília, Campo Grande and Curitiba participated. Data collection was carried out during Critical-Emancipatory Workshops. Data were subjected to thematic content analysis with the support of the software webQDA.

RESULTS

As potentialities, the professionals mentioned the game design, the collaborative participation, and the ludicity as learning facilitators, stimulating reflections on the visibility of violence, assistance to victimized women, and the articulation of the supportive network services. As limitations of the study, the lack of familiarity with games, the understanding of the rules, and some issues contained in the game were mentioned.

CONCLUSION

The game proved to be a powerful educational strategy for the training and qualification of the professionals involved in the supportive network.

The Use of Analog and Digital Games for Autism Interventions

Many interventions that target improvements in social communication and other cognitive, learning, and physical issues have been developed to help autistic people. The gamification of interventions offers an alternative approach to fostering and assessing desired behaviors and cognitions in a more naturalistic and emergent setting. In this scoping review aimed at educators, practitioners, and parents of those with autism, we detail studies that have tested game-based approaches to improving the lives of autistic children, adolescents, and adults, focusing on how research into gamification and autism can both progress and can be progressed and implemented. We offer parents, professionals and academics resources to incorporate game-based psycho-educational programs into their current practice.

Screen time is independently associated with serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in youth with obesity

Low levels of brain derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and excessive screen exposure are risk factors for neurocognitive deficits and obesity in youth, but the relationship between screen time and BDNF remains unknown. This study examined whether duration and/or type of sedentary screen time behaviour (TV viewing, video games, recreational computer use) are associated with serum BDNF levels in youth with obesity. The sample consisted of 250 inactive, postpubertal adolescents with obesity (172 females/78 males, aged 15.5 ± 1.4 years) at the baseline assessment of the Healthy Eating, Aerobic, Resistance Training in Youth Study. After controlling for self-reported age, sex, race, parental education, puberty stage, physical activity, and diet, higher total screen exposure was significantly associated with lower serum BDNF levels (β = -0.21, p = 0.002). TV viewing was the only type of screen behaviour that was associated with BDNF levels (β = -0.22, p = 0.001). Higher exposure to traditional forms of screen time was independently associated with lower serum BDNF levels, and this association appears to be driven primarily by TV viewing. Future intervention research is needed to determine whether limiting screen time is an effective way to increase BDNF and associated health benefits in a high-risk population of youth with obesity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT00195858. Novelty: This study is the first to show that recreational screen time is inversely associated with serum BDNF levels. The inverse association between screen time and BDNF is driven primarily by TV viewing, indicating the type of screen might matter.

From Bored Games to Board Games: Student-Driven Game Design in the Virtual Classroom

Classroom assessments needed to be rapidly modified at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as instruction transitioned from an in-person to virtual format. Yet, a significant obstacle among instructors during this time was developing online assessments that were useful, engaging, and accessible for students. We implemented a game design project in our introductory ecology course in spring 2020, in which students were required to develop a novel game based on ecology topics discussed in class. The learning objectives of this assignment asked students to (i) design a game for their peers based on an important ecological topic or concept from a specific unit or lesson in a creative manner; (ii) encourage critical thinking and discussion of ecological topics and concepts in the game; and (iii) judge their peers on the quality and enjoyment of their games. We found that while students developed various game formats and focused on different unit learning objectives, including nutrient cycling, climate change, and community dynamics, instructor and peer review indicated that the games created for this assignment were both conducive to learning and highly accessible. We suggest that a student-developed instructional games project is an effective way to engage students in an assessment that is enjoyable, collaborative, and requires creative application of the course content, in many possible biology courses and in-person and online learning environments.

The behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in preschoolers

Traditional board games are a common social activity for many children, but little is known about the behavioral effects of this type of game. The current study aims to explore the behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in four‐to‐six‐year‐old children (N = 65). Repeatedly during 6 weeks, children in groups of four played either cooperative or competitive board games in a between‐subject design, and shortly after each game conducted a task in which children’s cooperative, prosocial, competitive, and antisocial behavior were observed. The type of board game did not have an effect on cooperative, prosocial or antisocial behavior. Cooperative and competitive board games elicited equal amounts of cooperative and prosocial behavior, which suggest that board games, regardless of type, could have positive effects on preschoolers’ social behavior. Our results suggest that children may compete more after playing competitive board games; but the measure of competitive behavior in particular was unreliable. Preschoolers enjoyed playing cooperative board games more than competitive board games, which may be one reason to prefer their use.