Serious Video Games: Tools for Learning, Behaviour and Health

Serious video games are digital games designed with purposes beyond entertainment, commonly used to support education, training, health interventions, and behaviour change. Within cyberpsychology, they offer controlled interactive environments for examining how digital technologies influence cognition, emotion, motivation, and behaviour. This entry outlines the historical development of serious video games, from early non-digital simulations to contemporary applications incorporating online platforms, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies. It summarises key psychological theories underpinning their design, including self-determination theory, flow theory, learning theories, and social and emotional frameworks. The entry reviews major application areas such as education, healthcare, professional training, cybersecurity, and environmental education, alongside evidence regarding their effectiveness. Ethical, cultural, and accessibility considerations are discussed, particularly in relation to inclusivity, data privacy, and manipulative design. The entry concludes by highlighting future directions for research and development, emphasising the need for longitudinal evaluation, ethical design, and inclusive approaches as serious video games continue to evolve.