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JMIR Serious Games

JMIR Serious Games is a multidisciplinary journal devoted to computer, web, virtual reality, mobile applications, and other emerging technologies that incorporate elements of gaming, gamification, or novel hardware platforms such as virtual reality devices or wearables. It focuses on using these technologies to address health behavior change, physical exercise promotion, medical rehabilitation, diagnosis and treatment of psychological and psychiatric disorders, medical education, health promotion, teaching and education, and social change, while also covering health-adjacent and interdisciplinary contexts including military, education, industry, and workplace applications.

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Subject Health Care Sciences & Services, Medical Informatics, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Impact Factor 4.1
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Open
ISSN 2291-9279
eISSN 2291-9279
Invitation Only No
Cost Range $2950 USD payable upon acceptance; modified APF $2360 for Viewpoints and $1475 for Research Letters

Submission Instructions

JMIR Serious Games accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Original Paper

Cover Letter A cover letter must be submitted.
Abstract Original Papers must include a structured abstract. Abstract must not exceed 450 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Background, Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Manuscript Authors should aim for a maximum of 10,000 words in the main body. Original Papers must use the main headings Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, and include Title, Abstract, Keywords, Acknowledgements, Funding Statement, Conflicts of Interest, Data Availability, Author Contributions, Abbreviations, and References. Manuscript must include 5-10 keywords, an Abbreviations section, a required Data Availability statement, funding and conflicts disclosures, Author Contributions, and disclosure of any generative AI use in the Methods or Acknowledgments section.
References References should be formatted according to AMA style. References must be cited and listed in numerical order, and each reference must include a DOI, PMID, ISBN, or functional URL with access date when available.
Figures & Tables Authors are encouraged to include no more than 8 figures and no more than 5 tables per article. Tables must be embedded in the manuscript near first mention, while figures should remain in the manuscript file for peer review and also be uploaded separately. Tables must be created with Word’s table function in portrait orientation, and simple pie charts, simple bar graphs, and word clouds are not permitted as main figures.
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Review

Cover Letter A cover letter must be submitted.
Abstract Reviews must include a structured abstract. The abstract must not exceed 450 words. The abstract must be structured. The abstract must use the headings Background, Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Manuscript Authors should aim for a maximum of 10,000 words in the main body. Reviews must use the main headings Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The manuscript must include 5-10 keywords or key phrases, an alphabetized abbreviations section for abbreviations used in the abstract or main text, disclosure of any generative AI use in the Methods or Acknowledgments section, and sections titled Funding and Conflicts of Interest.
References References should be formatted according to AMA style. References must be cited in numerical order and listed in matching numerical order, and each reference must include a DOI, PMID, ISBN, or functional URL with access date when available.
Figures & Tables Authors are encouraged to include no more than 8 figures and no more than 5 tables per article, but review articles may include tables longer than 1.5 pages. Tables must be included in the manuscript file near first mention, figures should remain in the manuscript file for review and also be uploaded separately, and systematic review flow diagrams must appear as figures in the Results section rather than as a multimedia appendix. Reviews should include one flow-diagram figure in the Results section for study selection, and review articles may use *, **, and *** footnotes in tables to indicate significance levels.
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Research Letter

Cover Letter A cover letter must be submitted.
Abstract Research Letters do not require a full abstract, but a one-sentence summary is recommended in the abstract field under the heading Abstract. Research Letters do not include a full abstract. The recommended abstract field entry should appear under the heading Abstract.
Manuscript Research Letters must not exceed 1,000 words. Research Letters must use the main headings Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Manuscripts must include 5-10 keywords separated by semicolons, disclose any use of generative AI in the Methods or Acknowledgments section, include an alphabetized Abbreviations section for abbreviations used in the abstract or main text, and include a Conflicts of Interest section stating "None declared" if applicable.
References Research Letters must include no more than 10 references. References should be formatted according to AMA style. References must be numbered in the order cited and each journal reference must include a PMID or DOI if available.
Figures & Tables Research Letters must include no more than 2 tables or figures. Tables must be embedded in the manuscript near first mention, while figures should remain in the manuscript file for peer review and also be uploaded separately as figure files. Tables must be created with the Word table function and figures require descriptive captions.
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Case Report

Cover Letter A cover letter must be submitted.
Abstract An abstract is required. The abstract must not exceed 450 words. The abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript Authors should aim for a maximum of 10,000 words in the main body. The manuscript must state the article type at the beginning just before the title. The manuscript must include 5-10 keywords, disclose any use of generative AI in the Methods or Acknowledgments section, include an alphabetized Abbreviations section for abbreviations used in the abstract or main text, include a Funding section, include a Conflicts of Interest section, and include a statement that patient consent was obtained.
References References must be formatted according to AMA style. References must be cited and listed in numerical order and each reference must include a DOI, PMID, ISBN, or functional URL with an access date when applicable.
Figures & Tables Case Reports should include at least one clinical image, and authors are encouraged to include no more than 8 figures and no more than 5 tables. Tables must be embedded in the manuscript near first mention, while figures should remain in the manuscript file for review and also be uploaded separately. Tables must be created with Word's table function in portrait orientation with descriptive captions, and figures must have descriptive captions.
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Letter To The Editor

Cover Letter A cover letter must be submitted.
Abstract Abstract is not required for Letter To The Editor.
Manuscript Letter To The Editor must comment on a previously published article in a JMIR Publications journal, usually not older than 6 months, and must provide important additional information or critical questions that add value to understanding the published paper. The manuscript must include 5-10 keywords or key phrases separated by semicolons and must disclose any use of generative AI in the Methods or Acknowledgments section.
References References must be formatted according to AMA style. References must be cited in square brackets in numerical order of appearance and listed in numerical order with a DOI or PMID when available.
Figures & Tables Authors are encouraged to include no more than 5 tables and no more than 8 figures. Tables must be embedded in the manuscript near their first mention, while figures should remain in the manuscript file for peer review and also be uploaded separately as PNG files. Tables must be created with Word’s table function in portrait orientation, and pie charts, word clouds, and simple bar graphs are not permitted as main figures.
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Recent Publications

Association Between Embodiment of a Muscular Avatar and Muscle Performance in Virtual Reality for Chronic Low Back Pain: Exploratory Pre-Post Study

Yuichiro Nakaso, Yong-Hao Hu, Yukiko Shiro, Masayuki Inoue, Takafumi Kanaya, Takuto Nakamura, Takuji Narumi, Takahiro Ushida

10.2196/90389
View Publication

Haptic Virtual Reality Training for Combined Spinal-Epidural Anesthesia in Anesthesiology Trainees: Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Huihong Xie, Weiwei Lin, Yinjie Zheng, Mingxue Lin, Xiaobin Fang, Simeng Ma, Fu-Shan Xue, Xiaochun Zheng, Danfeng Wang, Fei Gao

10.2196/92207
View Publication

Virtual Reality–Based Mirror Guidance for Indirect Vision Training in Minimally Invasive Endodontic Access Cavity Preparation Among Dental Students: Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial

Unthitar Suranin, Metasit Getrak, Siriwan Suebnukarn, Peter Haddawy, Myat Su Yin, Rene Weller, Panuroot Aguilar, Kamon Budsaba, Andre Mühlenbrock, Gabriel Zachmann

10.2196/100884
View Publication

Exergame Intervention for Habit Formation, Lifestyle Adjustment, and Health Ownership Enhancement Among Hong Kong’s Older Adults: Multisession, Single-Group, Pre-Post Pilot Study

Siqiang Wang, Yi Sun, Chun Yin Chung, Yin-Leng Theng

10.2196/96571
View Publication

Two-Stage Gamified Digital Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening and the Limits of Differentiating Social Communication Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Accuracy Study Using Explainable Machine Learning

Minyoung Jung, Ju Ran, Ennyoung Lee, Youngkyung Sunwoo, SooYeon Kim, Ji-Hoon Kim, Sungja Cho

10.2196/102714
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Open peer review periods listed include April 23, 2026 to June 18, 2026; April 20, 2026 to June 15, 2026; April 19, 2026 to June 14, 2026; April 17, 2026 to June 12, 2026; April 15, 2026 to June 10, 2026; April 10, 2026 to June 05, 2026; April 09, 2026 to June 04, 2026; April 01, 2026 to May 27, 2026; and March 27, 2026 to May 22, 2026.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is mentioned for APF waiver requests with a compelling justification on submission.

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What are the publication costs?

Article processing fee: $2950 USD payable upon acceptance. Modified APF: $2360 for Viewpoints and $1475 for Research Letters.

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Research Topics

Educational Games and Gamification Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare Mobile Health and mHealth Applications Physical Activity and Health Child Development and Digital Technology Behavioral Health and Interventions Technology Use by Older Adults Children's Physical and Motor Development Surgical Simulation and Training Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet Augmented Reality Applications Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders Cognitive Abilities and Testing Media Influence and Health Mental Health Research Topics Aging and Gerontology Research COVID-19 and Mental Health Pediatric Pain Management Techniques Eating Disorders and Behaviors

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