http://www.healthgamers.com Playing games to improve lives. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:03:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Although the number of people dying from road traffic accidents has been divided by 2 in the last 10 years, France is still paying the highest price in Europe with 4,620 deaths in 2007 [1]. It's 40% more than the UK [2] and most of all, alcohol was involved in ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/prevention/serious-game-alcohol-road-death/ Last week I got wind of some pretty cool activity going on over at the Wii Mommies site. The wonderful folks over there [remember our interview with Wii Mommy Julie?] have launched a contest that pulls together elements of reviewing, reporting and hands on interaction specifically for the Wii Fit ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/using-health-games/the-wii-mommies-need-citizen-journalists/ In the fall of last year, rumor had it that French company BigBen Interactive was "looking to cash in on the Wii exergaming craze while it lasts" with a project called Cyberbike.  The idea was greatly criticized because the proposed Cyberbike was literally a full-sized bike attachment.  As it turns ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/exergaming/largest-wii-accessory-cyberbike-now-available/ The MiddleSex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is a Canada-based teaching organization designed to promote wellness, prevent disease and injury, and protect the public through the delivery of public health programs, services, and research.  They cover topics from health education on abuse to cancer prevention to weight loss.  Among their many goals ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/prevention/comic-style-health-game-teaches-sex-ed-in-canada/ For those of you unfamiliar with Microsoft's push to enter the healthcare field, take a look at HealthVault, a set of patient-friendly applications which allow families to organize and store their personal health information online.  The goal is to make health information easy to collect, easy to share and easy ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/disease-management/xbox-360-to-revolutionize-electronic-medical-records/ Gone are the days when moms could take their kids to task for whiling away their time playing video games or staring at the TV screen while their PlayStation or Wii game was on. Today, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are some aspects of gaming that are beneficial ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/using-health-games/gaming-as-a-rehab-technique/ The research. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a 25-year-old nonprofit dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective health and fitness products, programs and trends.  They have done extensive research on exercise regiments from pilates to dumbbells.  The latest on their research ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2010/research-theory/the-most-heart-healthy-wii-games/ Just RSVP. We just heard from Ben Sawyer that the Games for Health Project will be hosting a free, informative half-day session in New York City!  This is an amazing opportunity for anyone interested in advancing the role of videogames in health and healthcare or is just curious about the field.  ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2009/news/free-games-for-health-half-day/ Tis the season for competition. A Humana press release this morning revealed the three winners of the InsertCoin Game Idea Competition which began last summer.  The goal of the competition was to establish what gamers are looking for in health games and ultimately create better health games for consumers.  Prizes of ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2009/making-games/winners-of-humana-games-for-health-insertcoin-competiton-announced/ Better Food Pyramid games afoot? When I first started healthGAMERS we were in the process of creating a new online health game based on the food pyramid.  At that time, I was researching what was out there.  My conclusion: a call for better Food Pyramid games.  Someone at the USDA must ... http://www.healthgamers.com/2009/nutrition/usda-sponsors-web-based-nutrition-game-contest/