Gamification for Mental Health and Health Psychology : insights at the first quarter mark of the 21st Century

The concept of gamification, originally rooted in digital media and game design, has increasingly emerged as a pivotal element in psychology and engagement strategies. Its application spans diverse domains within healthcare, offering innovative solutions to transform patient care through behavior modification and heightened engagement. This contemporary perspective explores theoretical frameworks and provides a critical interdisciplinary examination of current advancements in gamification for mental health and health psychology, identifying existing knowledge gaps and projecting future trends and research directions within these contexts. Based on this, concise criteria for designing, implementing, and evaluating gamification in healthcare, aligned with acknowledged best practices to promote ethical, fair, and trustworthy systems, are outlined, establishing a robust theoretical framework to design gamified interventions and scientifically evaluate their impact.