Stephen Yang, a SUNY Cortland Professor and Games for Health advocate, appeared on Good Morning America earlier this month to discuss the impact games are having on the health field.

Yang demonstrated games such as the Wii-based Just Dance, billing it as chance to “imitate and have fun,” adding, “It’s for exercise, enjoyment, socialization… that’s the whole point of games, it brings us all together.”

Yang then showed off a prototype game from Red Hill Studios that's designed to (hopefully) improve the balance of Parkinson's sufferers.

Nothing really new, but always nice to see games championed in the media and the spotlight put on great initiatives like Games for Health.

A teacher arrested after making a threat to kill hundreds of people was acquitted by a jury after clarification emerged that his remark was meant to reference the taking of virtual lives in videogame play, so that he could relieve stress.

Jason Davis was a teacher at Knox Central High School in Barbourville, Kentucky, when a student, and fellow online gamer who Davis often played with, hid some of Davis’ markers. Davis, according to Kentucky.com, was apparently having a rough day and this bit of tom foolery caused him to issue utterances about killing people to relieve stress, which was apparently taken out of context by students and resulted in his arrest in May of 2009 for second-degree terroristic threatening.

A jury needed only 10 minutes to conclude that Davis was not guilty. Davis spent a month in jail before coming up with bond, and is now unemployed as the school, before the incident, informed him that he would not be rehired.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 110 children, a number that is spurring the development of games designed to help those with the disorder. A panel today at Games for Health discussed some autism-specific titles that are currently in the works.

Rob Morris from the MIT Media Lab outlined one potential hurdle to developing such games—those with autism typically demonstrate very specific interests, meaning that any game must be adaptable to a particular patient. Morris demonstrated one way around this issue, a Flash/Action Script-based title that implements a custom Google image search in order to infuse a specific element—that the player can identify with—into the game. The hope is to eventually release an open source version of this game.
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The health-based game community has grown significantly over the past few years, aided somewhat by the introduction of Nintendo’s Wii. As with any specialty segment, such expansion brings along growing pains, some of which were touched on in a discussion at Games for Health examining how the exergame field might keep advancing.

The panel, entitled How Do We Realize the Potential of Games for Rehab, Physical Therapy & Exergaming With and Without the Advancement of Commercial Entertainment Exergames, featured a group of researchers/developers and a representative from Best Buy.
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While there is very limited information on the intersection of games and psychotherapy—studies are extremely few and far between, and by some accounts, only a single “game” broaches the subject—one child psychiatrist is using videogames in a different way; as an icebreaker.

Dr. T. Atilla Ceranoglu is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, in addition to running his own practice. In a session at Games for Health, Dr. Ceranoglu detailed how he makes use of videogames.
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The  the sixth annual Games for Health conference might not be the place you would expect to hear Extreme drummer Kevin Figueiredo perform, but that’s just what happened.

Games for Health head Ben Sawyer welcomed attendees to this year’s show, which kicked off today in Boston, by noting that he is “the crazy person who thinks he can pull this off each year.” After a few remarks, Sawyer passed the microphone over to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Senior Vice President Dr. John Lumpkin. Robert Wood Johnson’s Pioneer Portfolio is a backer of Games for Health.

Lumpkin, an avowed gamer, indicated that he used to keep videogames and his work as “separate disconnected parts” of his life, before he noticed his son playing a game of Dance Dance Revolution and working up a sweat. This is when he realized that his professional field could intersect with his hobby.
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Another study about games will be explored, dissected and revealed at Games for Health this week in Boston, and it involves casual games. Preliminary results of a new study conducted by East Carolina University's Psychophysiology Lab have found that playing casual games showed improvements in cognitive function for older players. The study, which has been underway for over six months, is focusing on games like Bejeweled and Peggle.

Using 40 consumers age 50 and older, the study explores the effects of games on subjects' short-term cognitive acuity. Early data suggest that sizable improvements were identified in the performance of the test group, compared to a control group. Read More

Can playing videogames before bedtime make you the master of your dreams? MSNBC entertains that possibility in this technology and science story, showcasing the work of Jayne Gackenbach, a psychologist at Grant MacEwan University in Canada.

Gackenbach is somewhat of an expert on lucid dreams, or dreams where the subject is aware of being in a dream state. Many years ago she noticed her son's love of video games and the similarities between dream worlds and virtual worlds. This prompted her to conduct a decade's worth of research. That decade of game-related research has apparently yielded some surprising data, although she concedes that her findings represent "suggestive associations" rather than definitive proof. Gackenbach will discuss her work as a featured speaker this week at the Games for Health Conference in Boston.

So what did she find in her research? Read More

ABC News has a piece online which contains reactions to Nintendo’s just-announced partnership with the American Heart Association.

For starters, Nintendo did agree to pay the AHA $1.5 million dollars over three years in what was termed a “gift.” AHA President Dr. Clyde Yancy told ABC’s Health Editor Dr. Richard Besser that such corporate endeavors on the part of the AHA follow a “very deliberate process.”

 In regards to the dollars exchanging hands, Yancy stated, “Certainly resources have exchanged hands, because it takes quite a bit to launch a new initiative.” He added, “The logo’s not for sale.”
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Recognizing the Wii as an enjoyable way to stay moderately fit, the American Heart Association (AHA) and Nintendo have paired for a “multifaceted” strategic relationship.

Nintendo will benefit from the AHA logo appearing on packaging for the Wii system and specific products like Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort. A united call to action will urge consumers to “Get Informed,” “Get Empowered” and Get Active,” while the jointly-produced ActivePlayNow website will inform people on the benefits of being physically active and offer helpful tips such as “Choose a parking spot farther away than usual, and take some extra steps.”

Nintendo and the AHA also plan to produce a “multidisciplinary” summit later this year that will “take a closer look at the synergies and potential benefits of active-play video games and physically active lifestyles.” Participants will include AHA Exercise Physiologist Dr. Timothy Church and Entertainment Software Association (ESA) President Michael Gallagher.
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The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in concert with Games for Health, will launch “game jams” in six U.S. cities, including Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Albany, and Fairfax, on May 21st.

The jams are designed to leverage the capabilities of game developers in support of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition, which is part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Developers, artists and local youth will gather to make game prototypes in just 48 hours.

IGDA Board Chair Gordon Bellamy said, “This unique partnership provides a fun way for our members to focus their creative energies towards the goal of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition. We’re looking forward toward generating some amazing entries for the contest.” Read More

A previously mentioned Bill in the New York State Assembly—which would require retail outlets that sell or rent videogames to display a warning about the possibility of games causing epileptic seizures—appears to still be alive, though buried in bureaucracy.

Bill A04004, drafted by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D), was first introduced in 2001. It has been referred to the consumer affairs and protection agency multiple times, most recently in January of both 2009 and 2010.

The Bill’s text reads: Read More

The Lindale Independent School District Education Foundation of Lindale, Texas has awarded grants to 23 teachers that will fund classroom projects, including two based around Nintendo’s Wii console.

The Early Childhood Center was one recipient; with teachers Cookie Hartley and June Wright (pictured) receiving $1,021.40 in order to fund their project called Wii Can Do It! The project utilizes Wii games as “therapy and instructional tools” for preschool students afflicted with disabilities. Use of the Wii will promote a way to “address educational goals and objectives in the areas of communication and academics” in the youngsters.
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As part of her Let’s Move campaign to end childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama is on the hunt for games that encourage kids to be more physically active and to make better choices about what they eat.

The Apps for Healthy Kids competition officially starts accepting submissions today and will offer up $40,000 in prizes to the winners across two categories—tool and games. Applications will be judged by both the public and an all-star panel that includes Entertainment Software Association (ESA) President Michael Gallagher, LucasArts Engineer Eric Johnson, Zybga’s Mark Pincus and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Judging ends on July 14, 2010.
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Thanks to a research grant of $3.9 million from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Yale University will create a videogame designed to teach youngsters how to best avoid being infected by the HIV virus.

The grant will be distributed over the course of five years and enable the project, which will be led by Yale School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Medicine Lynn Fiellin M.D. Titled Retro-Warriors, the game will be created with different cultures in mind, in order to spread its message to adolescents around the globe.

The game’s main goal is stated as “teaching minority adolescents sex, drug and alcohol negotiation and refusal skills.” It’s proposed that instead of just preaching about things that could lead to catching HIV, the game would contain a role-playing aspect enabling those using it to participate in and learn from such risky behaviors.

Fiellin stated:

Access to the Internet is growing in developing countries and these technologies could be transferred to adolescents in countries experiencing a growing HIV epidemic but which have limited access to targeted risk-reduction strategies.

Upon completion the game will be subjected to a clinical trial in a New Haven, Connecticut community center.

Via Kotaku, Thanks Andrew!

The Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) investigative show Frontline will air a deep look into how digital media and the Internet have transformed human lives and the subject of videogames is featured heavily in the program.

Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier will debut on February 2 at 9:00 ET. The 90 minute show was produced by Rachel Dretzin, who also created the recent Frontline special Growing Up Online, and will feature commentary from Douglas Rushkoff. Segments include Living Faster, Relationships, Waging War, Virtual Worlds and Learning.

Many individual videos are already available for viewing on the PBS website and a trailer for the show offers a quick overview of what it’s all about.

The Waging War section features game-related topics such as the military’s use of virtual reality training, as well as looks at both America’s Army and the Army Experience Center.

Virtual Worlds contains a cornucopia of videogame segments, including the use of virtual reality therapy for veterans, gaming addiction, professional gamers, violent games, Second Life and about 20 more pieces.

Another cool aspect to the program is that the Digital Nation website launched about a year ago ago in a bid to let users collaborate with the project by sharing their own experiences.

A new system from a company called Games for Life attempts to combat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids by training them to pay attention.

Play Attention is designed for the PC and centers on an object that looks like your standard issue bicycle helmet. The helmet is actually outfitted with brain wave sensors—that read EEG waves associated with attention—that will shut off the on-screen game if a child’s attention wanders. Users control the game using their mind and as long as they continue to focus on the game, they will be able to keep playing it.

A test of the system on ten UK students with ADHD showed their impulse behavior was reduced after 12 weeks with the product. Research Professor Pine said about the system, “The Play Attention method may prevent long-term problems by helping the children to be less impulsive and more self-controlled.”

Units are expected to be available to the public beginning this month.  A 2-user license system for home use costs £1,795 (approximately $2,930.00 U.S.), while a professional version, with unlimited licenses, will sell for £2,495 (approximately $4,070.00 U.S.).

A pilot study into the rehabilitative aspects of videogames has shown that custom-made games can aid hemiplegic cerebral palsy sufferers boost hand functions and forearm bone health.

The pilot involved placing remotely monitored videogame systems in the homes of three participants, who were outfitted with custom-made sensor gloves used to control on-screen action. Games for the pilot were also custom-developed for the program by Rutgers University reports ScienceDaily. Subjects were tasked with exercising their affected hand 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

The remotely monitored consoles (which appear to be PS3s) introduce a few new twists to this study; physical therapists can remotely monitor progress and make adjustments as necessary and patients are spared repeated trips outside the home in order to receive therapy. Patients can also use the devices at their leisure and are not tied to the schedule of a physical therapist or doctor. Not to mention that it's proabably a fun way for rehabbers to get their work in.

All three participants, who were adolescents, showed improved functionality in their affected hand, resulting in a greater ability to lift objects and increased range of motion in their fingers.

Lead author Meredith R. Golomb, M.D, M.Sc., an Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor of neurology, sees other uses for the technology in the future:

While these initial encouraging results were in teens with limited hand and arm function due to perinatal brain injury, we suspect using these games could similarly benefit individuals with other illness that affect movement, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, arthritis and even those with orthopedic injuries affecting the arm or hand.

California-based charity Get-Well Gamers has reached a milestone with the addition of the 100th healthcare facility to its network.

The organization stocks children’s hospitals and treatment centers with new and used videogames and systems to provide entertainment for ailing youngsters. Facilities outfitted by Get-Well Gamers now span all 50 U.S. states.

President Ryan Sharpe stated, “We could not have reached this amazing milestone without all those who have helped us throughout the years. The doctors, the child life staff, the parents, the games industry, but most importantly, regular, everyday gamers deserve our deepest thanks.”

The organization also noted that White Wolf Publishing, a division of CCP, recently donated $10,000.

"It is difficult for anyone to be hospitalized but especially so for children,” added Rita Goshert, MS, CCLS, Manager Child’s Life Department, Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. “Play is the work of children. By donating a video game system to hospitalized children, you are helping to support their normal growth and development during a very traumatic time.“

As part of an initiative to chronicle the health benefits of videogames, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has bestowed over $1.85 million in grants to nine research teams.

RWJF’s Health Games Research program, headquartered at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is backed by $8.25 million in funding from RWJF’s Pioneer Portfolio, which operates under the mantra of supporting “innovative projects that may lead to breakthrough improvements in the future of health and health care.” The grant winners announced today are part of a second round of funding.

Pioneer Portfolio Team Director Paul Tarini stated, “The pace of growth and innovation in digital games is incredible, and we see tremendous potential to design them to help people stay healthy or manage chronic conditions like diabetes or Parkinson’s disease.  However, we need to know more about what works and what does not—and why.”

Research teams were chosen from 185 total proposals and each was awarded between $100,000 and $300,00. The grant winners, and a short synopsis of their field of study, are:

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Reward Circuitry, Autism and Games that Teach Social Perceptual Skills
 
• George Washington University - Active-Adventure: Investigating a Novel Exergaming Genre in Inner City School Physical Education Programs

• Georgetown University - Wii Active Exergame Intervention for Low-Income African-American Obese and Overweight Adolescents

• Long Island University - Dance Video Game Training and Falling in Parkinson’s Disease

• Michigan State University - Buddy Up! Harnessing Group Dynamics to Boost Motivation to Exercise

• Michigan State University - Short-Term and Long-Term Effectiveness of Exergames for Young Adults

• Teachers College, Columbia University - Lit: A Game Intervention for Nicotine Smokers

• University of California, San Francisco - A Video Game to Enhance Cognitive Health in Older Adults

• University of Southern California - Robot Motivator: Towards Adaptive Health Games for Productive Long-Term Interaction

With 84 bids down and seven days of auctioning left as I write this, a limited edition Xbox 360 which celebrates the release of The Beatles Rock Band is selling for $7,400 on Ebay.

The sale of the beautifully customized console will benefit Doctors Without Borders. From the auction listing:

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison personally selected the charity as the beneficiary of these proceeds.

Kotaku reports that the charitable auction is the first in a series.

If the console auction is too rich for your blood, purchasing the DLC bonus track All You Need is Love on Xbox Live (about $2) will help out Doctors Without Borders as well. All proceeds go to the charity an purchasers will be entered into a context to win one of the limited edition consoles as well as a
Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.
 

Last December GamePolitics reported on Pamoja Mtaani, a PC game developed through a partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive, North Carolina-based Virtual Heroes (creators of America's Army) and The Partnership For an HIV-free Generation.

The game's title translates to "Together in the Hood," and Pamoja Mtaani aims to help players learn skills to negotiate difficult issues such as crime and HIV in some of East Africa's most impoverished areas.

GP reader Wai Yen Tang dropped us a line to say that a video report on the game and how it is being used is now available on YouTube.

Beware the Gamers Flu - it could wipe out humanity.

This fictional malady, which breaks out in China and Japan following a game convention, is one of five viral illnesses that can be tackled in The Great Flu, a new online game created by reserachers at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.

The Associated Press reports that the object of the game is to prevent a global pandemic:

To fight the emerging outbreak, players use measures including setting up surveillance systems, stockpiling antivirals and vaccines, and closing schools and airports. Players also have a limited budget and are warned that "your actions to control the virus cost money, so keep an eye on it."

A running tally of the numbers of people infected and those who have died sit above the budget. Newspaper stories about the deadly virus and the global response to it — like riots breaking out worldwide — pop up to help players monitor the outbreak.

After a couple of play-throughs, I found The Great Flu to be a real-time strategy affair which is surprisingly enjoyable despite its chilling subject matter. The game challenges players to make difficult, real-world decisions about the timely allocation of healthcare resources when confronted with a potential pandemic. These choices range from relatively inexpensive options such as public information campaigns and distributing face masks, to tougher calls, including massive investments in vaccine or closing schools and airports. One of the game's key lessons - policy makers, take note - is that an aggressive early intervention can save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

So how did I fare against the Gamers Flu? Not so well. After just a month, 24,000 people had died around the world and there was rioting in the streets of cities along America's East Coast. The great thing about games, however, is that you can always start again.

The Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie plans to support development of a speech therapy game to the tune of $50,000, according to The Sault Star.

The money from the city's economic development fund will be awarded to Algoma University, which is partnering with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute to build a game studio devoted to developing health-oriented games.

Council member Steve Butland called the project "different and darn near cutting edge for Sault Ste. Marie."

The image of the hard-bitten soldier grabbing a post-battle smoke may be a cliche, but it's one that the U.S. Army hopes to change.

To that end, the Texas Medical Center reports that one of its researchers has been awarded $3.7 million grant by the Army to create an anti-smoking video game for military personnel. Alexander Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D. describes his project:

The tobacco use rates in the Army are alarming – 38 percent of service members smoke cigarettes and 15 percent use smokeless tobacco... Wars boosted the use of tobacco. Research shows tobacco use in the military increased during World War II. We are going to provide ways to help soldiers kick this destructive addiction or resist it in the first place...

The video game-based education program is anything but boring. It provides a highly interactive, engaging and exciting experience.

When the demands of combat duty increase the soldier’s level of pressure and stress, smoking becomes more tempting to both the former smoker and the soldier who has never smoked. The prevention aspect of the game will address this.

At the White House yesterday, President Barack Obama lauded a California non-profit which publishes a PC game designed to help children and teens cope with cancer.

As reported by the San Mateo Daily Journal, Obama recognized HopeLab and its game Re-Mission as an example of the kind of social innovation that is worthy of support from both the public and private sectors. Praising the work of HopeLab and three other non-profits during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, the President said:

If we work together — if we all go all-in here — think about the difference we can make. Think about the impact we could have with just the organizations represented in this room.

A White House press release praised HopeLab and its game:

HopeLab is dedicated to finding solutions that have broad impact, and works closely with tweens, teens and young adults to create fun, innovative products that meet their needs. Among them is Re-Mission, HopeLab's groundbreaking video game for young people with cancer. Data show that that Re-Mission improves treatment adherence and other key health outcomes... HopeLab is also developing products to combat sedentary behavior in children as a way to fight the effects of childhood obesity.

C-SPAN video of the ceremony is available here. More details of the event are available via HopeLab's Twitter account.

Eat lunch at your desk today and catch an important webcast about games and kids.

At Noon the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop will launch a two-hour webcast to coincide with today's release of the organization's report Game Changer: Investing in Digital Play to Advance Children's Learning and Health. From the press release:

The report, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, specifies how increased national investment in research-based digital games might accelerate children’s learning and healthy development.

 

The panel will discuss the Center’s recommendations for the media industry, government, philanthropy and academia to consider for expanding research, development and use of digital games.

Panelists for the webcast include:

• Michael Levine Ph.D., Director, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop  
• Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop
• David Abrams, Executive Director, Schroeder Institute at the American Legacy Foundation
• Alan Gershenfeld, Founder and President, E Line Ventures
• Debra Lieberman Ph.D., Director, Health Games Research
• Scot Osterweil, Creative Director, MIT Education Arcade
• Susan Zelman Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) who chairs the Congressional Entertainment Caucus was also invited to serve on the panel but it is unclear whether or not she will appear.

The 5th annual Games For Health Conference formally kicks off tomorrow in Boston.

The conference, which runs through Friday, will feature a "Games Accessibility Day" today, devoted to examing way to make games playable by those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

The main conference agenda which begins on Thursday will feature more than 40 sessions:

Topics include exergaming, physical therapy, disease management, health behavior change, bio-feedback, epidemiology, training, cognitive exercise, nutrition and health education.

The United States Army plans to develop an online virtual support group for soldiers who have lost limbs in combat, reports Virtual World News. The families of the soldiers would also be able to participate in the group.

The idea is still quite preliminary and there is no information available as to what form the virtual support group might eventually take. One could easily imagine, however, an avatar-based system along the lines of Second Life or PlayStation Home.

At this point, the Army is still soliciting proposals for the project on the Federal Business Opportunities website. From the RFP:

Studies have shown that a patients major concern is that of dying alone, either literally or figuratively. The second major concern is that of having unmanaged pain.... quality of life has been much improved by the use of simple support groups...

 

We therefore believe that giving patients and their families access to a virtual support group environment will enable them to have access to a critical resource which they may not be able to be part of in the physical world...

Today brings the launch of an online game created for the California Nurses Association and National Nurses Organizing Committee. 

You Bet Your Health advocates a single-payer healthcare system by highlighting ways in which American citizens can be negatively impacted by the current system of commercially-provided healthcare insurance.

The game is a simple spin-the-wheel affair in which all of the outcomes are bad except when the player lands on a single-payer coverage plan. A press release explains the NNOC/CNA's position:

When American patients trust their health to a for-profit insurance company, they're doing nothing less than gambling with their lives...  The game is part of a wide-ranging public education and political mobilization campaign for single-payer health reforms, which is the choice of nurses and doctors.

This video game... features an everyday patient trying to win healthcare from her insurance company.  In each case, the insurer wins.  Finally, as a bonus round, the patient spins to choose a healthcare system—and is fortunate to land on the single-payer model, which is succeeding in much of the rest of the industrialized world and which has been introduced in Congress as HR 676 (Conyers - MI) and S 703 (Sanders - VT).

Although the NNOC/CNA press release indicates that You Bet Your Health will be ad-supported, there are presently no ads on the game's web page.