An American research institute is participating in the development of a game that consists of betting on oneself with the aim of quitting smoking.
- The game is to bet $30 for 4 weeks without smoking with a daily abstinence check
- It will be the subject of a study to measure the results and at the same time put in place a possible social support for the “punters”
“Quitting smoking is hard, but who said it has to be frustrating too?” On the strength of this conviction that one can add pleasure to effort, Jamie Roser, the boss of an American company of “serious games” intended to improve health, has developed a new game for the research institute in Hennepin Health in Minnesota. Called “QuitBet”, this one is for those who want to say goodbye to cigarettes to bet on themselves with the possibility if they manage to quit smoking to multiply their bet!
A bet of 30 dollars…
The risk of losing remains very limited: players only agree not to smoke for four weeks. And they bet on themselves 30 dollars (27.90 euros) which enters a common pot fed by all the “bettors”. At the end of these four weeks, those who have managed to get rid – temporarily… – of cigarettes recover their stake and share those of the “losers” who have remained addicted to smoking. Those who are lucky enough to come across bettors with less willpower than them can pocket up to twice their bet!
And who makes sure there are no cheaters? The game, funded by a grant administered by researchers at the Hennepin Institute, requires each participant to prove their abstinence from tobacco by carrying out a daily breath test with analysis of the level of carbon monoxide in their breath using a device connected to a smartphone. The effectiveness of this technique for quitting smoking will be measured in a study for which the conditions of participation are communicated on the QuitBet application.
“It’s up to the players to finance their own incentives”
“We’ve known for years that paying people to change their behavior helps those who want to quit smoking. It’s called contingency management, but implementing it in a sustainable way is difficult. We We therefore sought to solve this problem by allowing players to finance their own incentives themselves”, explains Sandra Japuntchik, researcher from the Hennepin Institute who provides the scientific support for this study.
This should also provide indications on the possible need for social support during the game to improve its effectiveness. By betting on “making the adoption of healthy attitudes fun and engaging”, the company that developed this game already has experience of “serious games” adapted to other health-related objectives such as the loss of weight or exercise.