Helth ‘ Gā-mər, n. One who is interested in developing, researching or playing game technology as a way of improving the well being of others. At healthGAMERS, we want to start a dialog about Health Games, an emerging field that uses game-based technology to improve the health of the public. ...

Part 8 of 8. I cannot believe we are to part eight of eight in our series!  It’s been quite a journey, but here is the last piece of the puzzle.  Great Game Tenet #8: a great health game needs to be intelligently designed. Designed to do amazing things. This is an excellent tenet to wrap things...

Do brain games make kids smarter? Brain games have been the subject of much controversy due to their unclear effectiveness in maintaining mental fitness among users.  Many are asking, “Do these games really make people smarter?”  I say that the real question is “Are these games better...

Sounds good to me. Continuing on with our series, today’s great game must is music to my ears.  You guessed it, Great Game Tenet #7: a great health game has great sound.  This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill sound effects.  Sound includes the sfxs, music, and voices.  All are crucial. Sounds...

One small step for man, one giant leap for health gamer kind. The release of Nintendo’s Wii has been a huge stepping stone in the world of health games.  One might say it has help put us healthGAMERS into the limelight.  I personally have a Wii and a Wii Fit and cannot say enough amazing things...

Pow, zap, boom. One of the many benefits of health games versus traditional health education materials is instant reinforcement and immediate feedback.  When a player does something correct, the game immediately gives the player a reward, such as a visual effect or fun sound.  Great Game Tenet #6:...

Gamer vogue. The style, the color, the flare!  An important element to any game is the art assets.  This gives the game its feel, its personality.  Great Game Tenet #5: great health games have great art. Art versus content. Some, like Whyville’s founder Dr. James Bower, believe that good art...