Since 2010, both sites have hosted challenges sponsored by organizations, corporations, and the government. Some have monetary prizes, some just offer recognition. The goal is to bring software programmers, designers, and health care experts  together for rapid application development. There are two types of developer projects: 1) challenges, which overseas team collaboration to build specific requested tech solutions, and 2) code-a-thons.  Code-a-thons are typically one day or weekend events that spur teams to rapidly create new applications and tools to improve health care.

Health 2.0 and Challenge Post make it easy to form teams with their community boards and resources. Check out the wide array of challenges posted on their sites. Compare goals, deadlines and prizes. Make new contacts, enjoy the thrill of creativity, and the pride of helping find real solutions to health care issues. Several have December 31, 2011 deadlines, so check out the fun and competition, and register today!

http://www.Health2Challenge.org
http://www.Challenge.gov

Opening keynote.

This year, the chosen keynote is an interesting one for Games for Health. Ben Sawyer announced that the founding father of Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman, will be taking the stage. You can read Dr. Seligman’s full bio on the U Penn Positive Psychology Center page.

Dr. Seligman will help Games for Health attendees understand the opportunities that positive psychology presents for games. His opening talk “Positive Psychology>Positive Computing>Positive Videogames” is one of over 60 talks planned for the three day event will provide the basis for a conference long discussion about how video game developers and researchers can create “PERMA Power Ups” forged by a collaboration between the documented interventions of positive psychology and interactive entertainment.

A little something new.

I’m actually very excited about this keynote. Several years ago I did a little series on healthGAMERS called “What Makes a Great Health Game Great.” One of the many things required for a good game is the ability to help players reach that feeling of flow or losing oneself through enjoyment. Perhaps Dr. Seligman will be able to expand upon this.

Additional speakers and presentations are available on the full schedule block page for the conference. This is constantly being updated so if you don’t see something here for you just yet, keep checking back. There are over 60 talks planned this year.

Register now for a discount.

To register, visit the Games Beyond Entertainment Week registration page. Prices range from $199 to $999 depending on how early you sign up and how many events you choose to attend. Us the code BOST11 to receive 10% off registration!!

I have accepted a new position with the world-renowned Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System and will be leaving my position as Director of Marketing for Archimage. Today, March 31, 2011, is officially my last day.

A thank you.

I would like to take this opportunity thank all of you who have been dedicated readers of the healthGAMERS blog. The blog would not be what it is today without you.  I would also like to thank all of our amazing writers and contributors. It has truly been an honor to work with such a dedicated and professional group of people

What’s next.

I will continue to write on healthGAMERS through April to assist with the transition. Once Archimage is able to find a new Director of Marketing and that individual gets settled, he or she will be introduced and take over the blog.

In the meantime, please direct all of your inquiries about healthGAMERS to our VP, Paul Patel, at ppatel[at]archimage.com.

For now, I bid you farewell. Until we meet again!

Best wishes,

Melanie M. Lazarus, MPH

It’s been recently brought my attention that Dublin City University’s 11th annual DIVERSE International Conference is seeking papers on eHealth for their upcoming meeting in June.  The conference centers around effective uses of visual media in education including new media, social media, video, and serious games.

This is a great opportunity for those of you interested in taking your eHealth and serious game innovations and initiatives to the international level. To enter a paper, simply read the guidelines and submit online. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2011.

About the conference.

The DIVERSE (Developing Innovative Visual Educational Resources for Students Everywhere) Conference is an annual gathering of academics, teachers, technologists and students. The main goal for the conference is to enhance the use of visual media in teaching, learning and creative inquiry. The conference framework will be a combination of internationally known keynote speakers, parallel sessions and workshops along with an exciting social programme featuring Irish music and dance.

This year they have an entire program on eHealth and serious games. As a matter of fact, one of our friends, Dr. Cliff Dacso, is a keynote speaker.

The conference is a three day event from June 28th – 30th, 2011 at Dublin City University.  Online registration is now open.

About the university program.

Dublin City University is a vibrant new educational institution, situated on an 85 acre campus three miles north of the River Liffey in the city centre and just a 15-minute drive from Dublin airport. The university is inviting those who produce, use, or want to use visual media in their practice, or do research within this area to attend the conference.

A special thanks to Emma O’Brien, the Education, Outreach and Entrepreneurship Manager at Dublin City University, for the tip.

American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Elsevier: San Diego, CA, December 7, 2010 – Obesity in youngsters has risen dramatically in recent decades. Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and increased water intake can lower the risk of obesity, as can increased physical activity, but it is not always easy to convince children to eat better and exercise more. In a new study published in the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that video games designed to encourage these behaviors were effective.

About the games

“Escape from Diab” (Diab) and “Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space” (Nanoswarm) are epic video games specifically designed to lower risks of type 2 diabetes and obesity by changing youth diet and physical activity behaviors. Designed by Archimage, Inc., and funded by a Small Business Initiative Research Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, Diab and Nanoswarm are based on social cognitive, self-determination, and persuasion theories.

“Diab and Nanoswarm were designed as epic video game adventures, comparable to commercial quality video games. These games incorporated a broad diversity of behavior change procedures woven in and around engrossing stories. The games motivated players to substantially improve diet behaviors,” according to lead investigator Tom Baranowski, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service supported Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine. “Serious video games hold promise, but their effectiveness and mechanisms of change among youth need to be more thoroughly investigated.”

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The study and results

Children playing these video games increased FV consumption by about 2/3 serving per day, but did not increase water consumption or moderate to vigorous physical activity, or improve body composition. Despite the increase, FV and water consumption and physical activity remained below the minimum recommendations.

In this randomized clinical trial, 153 children ages 10 to 12 years, were divided into a treatment group (103 children) and a control group (50). Complete data were obtained on 133 subjects. The treatment group first played Diab and then Nanoswarm. The control group played diet and physical-activity knowledge-based games on popular websites. Each group was assessed at the start of the trial, immediately after Diab, immediately after Nanoswarm, and again two months later. Height, weight, waist size, and triceps skin-fold thickness were measured. Physical activity was monitored for at least 4 days by accelerometer-based data from each child at each assessment. Food consumption was measured using 24 hour dietary recalls conducted by registered dietitians.

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The article is “Video Game Play, Child Diet, and Physical Activity Behavior Change – A Randomized Clinical Trial” by Tom Baranowski, PhD, Janice Baranowski, MPH, RD, Debbe Thompson, PhD, Richard Buday, FAIA, Russ Jago, PhD, Melissa Juliano Griffith, MPH, Noemi Islam, MPH, Nga Nguyen, MS, and Kathleen B. Watson, PhD. It appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 40, Issue 1 (January 2011) published by Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.09.029

On October 29th Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the School of Informatics at IUPUI will be hosting the first-ever Midwestern Conference on Health Games in Indianapolis. The conference is a Games for Health Regional Event for 2010 and is supported by the Games for Health Project. Dr. Meredith Golomb from the Indiana University School of Medicine and Ben Sawyer (Digitalmill, Games for Health) will be the keynote and featured speaker, respectively. The conference will be featuring presenters and panelists from across the Midwest and the country, including members of industry like Kognito Interactive.

According to Dr. Anna McDaniel, Conference Co-chair at IU School of Nursing and School of Informatics, “Interactive video gaming technology offers significant potential to positively impact health behaviors and has gone relatively untapped. Interactive health games engage the user in learning concepts, improving decision making, and changing health behaviors. The Midwestern Conference on Health Games will bring together social scientists, health professionals, multi-media developers and industry leaders to discuss the emerging issues in developing and testing health games.”

Get a discount for reading healthGAMERS.

We are delighted to announce that the good folks at IUPUI are offering the loyal readers of healthGAMERS a discount at registration and when reserving a room. Simply use the discount code SERIOUS when registering to receive 50% off the regular registration cost (which includes lunch). Attendees may also obtain special conference pricing when reserving a room online at University Place Conference Center and Hotel with the promo-code HEALTH.

For more information about the conference and a full list of speakers, visit the conference homepage at www.midwesthealthgames.org.

The University of California in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Pioneer Portfolio have been working on a fantastic health games site this year for their national program Health Games Research.  Health Games Research funds research to advance the innovation and effectiveness of digital games and game technologies to improve health.

Just recently they launched the bulk of their website content in the form of a database, the Health Games Research Database, which has been getting quite a bit of attention these last few days.  Why?  Because it’s the largest database of health games and related conferences, organizations, publications, and resources to date.  As of today they boast:

• 74 Conferences and Events
• 337 Games
• 526 Organizations
• 398 Publications
• 125 Resources

The interview.

When I asked Dr. Debra Lieberman, director of Health Games Research and communication researcher at the University of California Santa Barbara about the undertaking, here’s what she had to say.

HG: Why did you decide to create this massive health games database?

DL: We decided to create the Health Games Research Database because there are so many people who are looking for information about health games and related research.  For example, for the past 15 years I have received at least 40 or 50 requests per month from people who want to talk with me to learn more about research, publications, behavioral health strategies, design, development, publishing, marketing, people, events, game titles, funding opportunities,and business ventures related to health games.  It is impossible to respond to all the requests and also get my own work done, and the number of requests has been increasing as the field continues to grow. I wanted to develop the database so I could point people to a dynamic resource they could explore to find the information they need.

HG: How many people did it take to make this database a reality?

DL: The information in the database was gathered and organized by the Health Games Research staff with the help of 10 student assistants at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  I especially want to thank our team’s project manager for the database, Erica Biely, and the deputy director at Health Games Research, Maria Chesley Fisk, for their diligent work and valuable ideas.  Erica has been the driving force of this project and we appreciate her many contributions.

HG: I assume aggregating all of this information was costly due to the number of staff required.  What was your major source of funding?

DL: We are very grateful to the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, led by Pioneer team leader and senior program officer Paul Tarini, for their financial and collegial support for this project.

HG: As we all know, most of the information on health games is pretty scattered.  Can people make suggestions for additions to the database that may have been missed?

DL: We welcome community input to the database.  It has a Recommendation Form where people can suggest new content or revisions to existing content.  There are now more than 1,200 items in the database and we plan to add a lot more, and we would like to hear from our colleagues in a variety of fields who have more items to suggest.

HG: What an amazing accomplishment–congratulations!  How does it feel now that the database is complete?

DL: The three of us are very excited to have the database to use ourselves and to share with our colleagues in the wide-ranging health games field. My hope is that the database will spark new ideas and collaborations in the field that will help it grow in constructive and exciting directions.

A special healthGAMERS thanks.

On a personal note, I just wanted to extend my gratitude to Dr. Lieberman for answering my questions about their exciting database. As you can imagine, Dr. Lieberman is an extremely busy individual, but she always takes the time to respond, regardless of how small or large the request. The Health Games Research team was also kind enough to list our little blog on their resources page from the very beginning which has really assisted us in creating a dynamic, diverse reading audience.  Thank you so much Dr. Lieberman and team!

The Games for Health Conference will be holding its sixth meeting this year at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston, and the schedule is finally out.  The traditional two-day conference will offer over 40 sessions with 60 speakers and will cover a wide range of topics including exergaming, health behavior change, biofeedback, rehabilitation, physical therapy, disease management, epidemiology, medical training, cognitive and emotional health, nutrition and health education.

What really makes this year’s conference exciting is the addition of several co-located pre-conferences, including the first ever Mobile Serious Games Day.  These five days of health game events have been dubbed Games Beyond Entertainment Week.  Here’s what to expect for Games Beyond Entertainment Week.

Serious Games Day: Monday May 24, 2010

Games Beyond Entertainment Week 2010 kicks off with Serious Games Day. The Serious Games Initiative, with support from the Federation of American Scientists and other partners present this event in which leading serious game projects and research will be showcased to assist developers, sponsors, and partners operating in the serious games field.  The evening will be wrapped up with the Serious Games Festival.

1st Annual Mobile Serious Games Day: Tuesday May 25, 2010

Out & About is the first ever event dedicated to the creation and distribution of serious games on mobile platforms.  From ARGs, to pedometer powered adventures, Out & About will bring you up-to-speed on this exciting new area of the serious games field.  The conference will feature a mobile games gallery and two tracks to choose from: pioneering projects and mobile games for health and healthcare.

3rd Annual Games Accessibility Day: Tuesday May 25, 2010

Games Accessibility Day explores every aspect of making and creating accessible games specifically for people with lifelong, chronic, and temporary disabilities.  This conference included demos of existing accessible games as well as lectures and networking opportunities dedicated to making all games more accessible, and helping people with disabilities play their way to better health and wellness.

3rd Annual Virtual Worlds and Health Day: Tuesday May 25, 2010

Virtual Worlds and Health Day explores the entire spectrum of opportunities and happenings related to health, healthcare, multiplayer games, and social virtual worlds.   Be prepared to learn about massive multiplayer games and social virtual worlds and including WhyVille, Second Life, and Habbo Hotel.

Emerging Markets in Videogames Symposium: Tuesday May 25th, 2010

This single track conference will cover highly emergent efforts in commercial entertainment and non-traditional sectors. The goal of the Emerging Markets Symposium is to create a place for understanding new opportunities in games as well as provide a forum for discussion of how such innovative areas can be created and nurtured long-term.  Tuesday will conclude with an evening at the IDGA Boston games showcase and reception.

6th Annual Games for Health Conference: Wednesday May 26th and Thursday May 27th, 2010

The sixth annual Games for Health Conference will be held at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston from May 25 to 27.  Building on the success of previous years, the 2010 conference promises to provide even more insight around the use of interactive video games advancing heath and health care through exergaming, active games, health training games, disease management efforts and more.  Wednesday evening also includes a GFH reception and afterplay event.

International Leadership Breakfast: Friday May 28th, 2010

Conclude your serious games week by connecting with international networkers and leaders at the International Leadership Breakfast. The goal of this event is to foster stronger cross-border collaboration, project, and business development.

Registering for the conferences.

This line up is sure to attract healthgamers from all over the world.  Last year’s Games for Health Conference sold out early so the Games for Health Project recommends you register as soon as possible.  For complete information about this and the rest of the week, visit www.gamesforhealth.org and www.gamesbeyondentertainment.com.  To download a complete brochure suitable for forwarding to colleagues, visit http://www.gamesforhealth.org/brochure.pdf.

Basics of the contest [from the page]:

The Wii Mommies are looking for individuals who are unfamiliar with the Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit Plus to participate in our Citizen Journalist Program to analyze specific elements of the Wii Fit Plus and submit weekly reports on their findings over a period of three weeks. You do not have to be a parent or female to apply, all are welcome.

Here at healthGAMERS, we’re super excited to see the results of the program and the feedback that the various citizen journalists come up with in their reports. The purpose of this health games movement is to make sure people get real experiences and this is a perfect way to get that done. The more people who realize that there are healthy and fun activities out there, the more we can continue spreading the word.

Applications close on March 5th so head on over there and apply if you’re interested! Also don’t forget to follow Wii Mommies on Twitter.