Software Engineering Frameworks Used for Serious Games Development in Physical Rehabilitation: Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Software Engineering
• Game Design

Background:

• Serious games are valuable tools in physical rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities.
• Current serious games often fail to meet patient needs due to a lack of structured software engineering development.
• A structured approach involving patient/therapist requirements, planned development, and feedback is crucial for effective serious game design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic review of serious games used in physical rehabilitation.
• To identify the benefits of employing a software engineering framework in the development of these games.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across multiple scientific databases (PubMed, PEDro, IEEE Xplore, etc.).
• The initial search yielded 701 papers, which were then screened based on inclusion criteria.
• A final selection of 83 papers was included in the systematic review.

Main Results:

• Only 8 out of the 83 reviewed papers utilized a software engineering framework in their development process.
• These 8 papers predominantly focused on specific aspects like data processing, game mechanics, user motivation, and therapist oversight.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of serious games for physical rehabilitation are not developed using a software engineering framework.
• This lack of a standardized development process leads to the omission of critical implementation aspects.
• The absence of a structured framework negatively impacts the overall effectiveness of serious games and can prolong patient recovery times.