The Authors’ Own Words: Preliminary investigation of a videogame prototype for cigarette and marijuana prevention in adolescents

This study showed improvements in knowledge about the risks of smoking cigarettes and marijuana for adolescents who played the videogame prototype. There was also an encouraging trend in the expected direction for changes in self-efficacy and perceived norms related to smoking cigarettes and marijuana. Feedback from the players about their gameplay experience was very positive. Despite their preliminary nature, our findings suggest that a videogame based on key cognitive and motivational variables may be an effective and engaging means to deliver a cigarette and marijuana prevention intervention. Our data also suggest important ways in which the game could be enhanced for even more meaningful effects.