Einschlafen mit einem Computerspiel?

Nowadays, there are an increasing number of apps and digital games with the more or less explicit aim of promoting health. One of the most frequently searched topics for health apps is sleep. These are usually used as part of the evening going-to-bed ritual or as an aid to falling asleep. However, the evaluation of such apps or games from a sleep-specific perspective has so far received little attention. The aim of this work is therefore to develop a criteria catalog for evaluation by professionals and to test it in an initial test phase.

On the basis of extensive literature research on the topic of game criteria and with the addition of similar preliminary work, a catalog of criteria with a focus on sleep- and relaxation-related aspects was developed in a multi-stage process with an interdisciplinary team of experts. These criteria were tested in a pilot phase.

Existing criteria proposals for serious games cover some relevant subject areas, but their orientation can be expected to have aversive effects when used to promote sleep. In addition to the necessary adaptation of the criteria to the topic of falling asleep or relaxation, these must also be expanded to include further criteria for health promotion apps. These adaptations have been made in the work presented here.

In the pilot testing phase, the criteria developed by the interdisciplinary team proved to be largely useful and adequate for the topic of sleep and relaxation.

New apps and games relating to sleep should neither be used nor recommended by specialists without critical reflection. The involvement of an interdisciplinary team is strongly recommended when creating such an application. The developed criteria catalog can help professionals evaluate and classify sleep- or relaxation-related apps and games in the future.