Smartphone Exercise Games Are Popular, But Do They Work In The Long Run?

A growing number of smartphone apps use games to motivate people to exercise, according to a new U.S. study. The apps are premised on the belief that ”gamification” works better than general health and fitness apps – of which there are 31,000 – at getting people to work out. The most common forms of motivation in the apps centered on social or peer pressure (45 percent), digital rewards (24 percent), competitions (18 percent), and leader boards (14 percent). But, the researchers ask, do these fun and engaging apps sustain major changes in healthy behavior? More research is needed, they say, in an industry projected to be worth $2.8 billion in a couple of years.