All the techie, gamer and healthy lingo you’ll need to understand the field of Health Games.

• Alpha test – A first test of an experimental game product conducted by the developer, usually done at an early stage in development to identify major flaws.
• Avatar – An iconic representation of a player, often used in online gameplay.
• Beta test – The second test of a game product in which an almost-final product is given to the intended audience in order to collect user feedback.
• Bug – A defect in a video game or other computer program.
• Casual game – An online game that is easy to learn and does not require hours of playtime for enjoyment.  Casual games target a mass audience, and can be of any computer game genera including puzzle, quiz, and adventure.
• Computer game – A game played against a computer.
• Console game – A video game that uses an external platform, such as a PlayStation, Xb0x, or Wii, for gameplay.  Games played on a console are often referred to as “core games.”
• Cookie – A small piece of text information that is exchanged between a web server and a web browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari) to create personalized pages for a user.
• Cut scene – A sequence of linear, non-interactive video that often occurs between sections of active gameplay.
• Engine – The core software used to develop a video game. Examples include Torque and 3D Game Studio.
• Exergame - A video game that requires the user to participate in physical activity to play the game.  One type of health game.
• Game – An activity, often in the form of a contest, played according to certain rules, for amusement, recreation, or winning.
• Gameplay – A player’s entire interactive experience during video game or computer game play.  Art, mechanics, sound, and feedback are all part of the gameplay experience.
• Games for Health – see Health Game
• GUI – Graphic user interface, an on-screen environment for users that utilizes icons, menus, and dialog boxes.
• Handheld game – A video game played on a portable device including mobile phones, iPod, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gameboy, and PSP.
• Health 2.0 – The use of technology in healthcare to rapidly share, classify, and summarize individual health information.
• Health Game – A game-based technology used to change health or health behavior.  Health games cover all aspects of the healthcare process including training, treatment, diagnosis, maintenance, and prevention.
• Levels – Measure of a player’s progression.
• Ludology – The social science of games and gameplay.
• Mechanic – A game mechanic is a set of rules that are used to produce an enjoyable gameplay experience.  Examples include building, shooting, collecting, and solving puzzles.
• MMOG – Massively Multiplayer Online Game, a video game capable of supporting hundreds to thousands of players simultaneously.
• Play – To occupy oneself in sport, recreation, or amusement.
• RPG – Role-playing game, a game in which a player assumes the role of a fictional character.
• Serious game – A video game intended to not only entertain users but have additional purposes such as education and training. Serious games are used in education, training, military simulations, for social change, and for health.
• Simulation – An interactive program which mimics a system or environment for the purposes of training or research.
• Static web page – A web page that is not interactive.
• Video game – An electronic game by means of images on a video screen.
• Virtual world – A computer-based simulated environment in which users can share information with one another.