The healthcare gamification market is projected to expand at a substantial pace by 2027 driven by the rising awareness about benefits of integrating gamification into the healthcare setting, along with the soaring popularity of gaming in recent years.

Gamification, which refers to the addition of game-like elements in real-world or non-game settings, has gained notable prominence in healthcare, pharmaceutical, and other sectors, particularly owing to the growth of virtual engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to its diverse applications, gamification has become a promising tool for preventive medicine, patient adherence, chronic disease management, pediatric care, and rehabilitation, as well as for training, event engagement, medical education, and other uses.

To cite an instance, in December 2020, JMIR Serious Games, a gaming and gamification journal, published a study about a serious game, dubbed ???Escape COVID-19???. The game aimed to promote infection prevention and control (IPC) practices - specifically focused on COVID-19 - among health care workers (HCWs) and other hospital staff.

The game targeted all hospital staff who could come in direct contact with infected patients and was developed using the SERES framework. In March 2021, the team conducted a study to assess the game’s impact. The study found that the game was more successful than standard IPC material in persuading long-term care facilities (LTCFs) employees to adopt COVID-19-safe IPC practices.

The healthcare gamification market has been segmented based on game type, application, end-use, and region. In terms of game type, the market has further been bifurcated into casual games, exercise games, and serious games.

The casual games sub-segment is expected to see sizable growth at around 13.9% CAGR over the forecast period owing to the soaring popularity of gaming. Pandemic-induced lockdowns have pushed consumers to stay indoors, which has increased consumer demand for casual games.

This rise in the number of users has been especially favorable for industry players. For instance, in August 2020, Nintendo, the Japanese gaming giant, reported a 400% surge in its profits for the fiscal quarter ending on 30th June. The company’s soaring profits were supported by the proliferating demand for its Switch console and the Animal Crossing video game during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the basis of application, the market has been segmented into prevention, education, therapeutic, and others. In 2020, the prevention sub-segment accounted for 46.6% share in the overall market revenue and is expected to see substantial growth over the forecast period due to increased demand for gamification in preventive healthcare.

From the perspective of end-use, the healthcare gamification market has been segregated into enterprise-based and consumer-based. Consumer-based end-use is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace to reach a valuation of over USD 28.2 billion by the end of 2027.

In the regional landscape, the Latin America healthcare gamification market is estimated to showcase steady growth at around 11.5% CAGR over the assessment timeframe. Increasing research activities and rising presence of industry players in the region are anticipated to propel market outlook through the study timeline.

Middle East & Africa accounted for a 7.9% share in the healthcare gamification market in 2020 and is speculated to exhibit profitable growth over the forecast time period.