Ben Sawyer was instrumental in its foundation and development into the force that it is today.  It’s annual meeting draws hundreds of global participants each year in Boston.

So it was exciting news this year when Games for Health announced a  European partner. It’s first meeting will be held in Amsterdam on October 24 and 25.  The central theme is: How games and simulations can improve health(care) and make it affordable. The program is dynamic includes topics on five core tracks:

Cognitive and emotional health
Participatory health
Exergaming, active gaming and fitness
Rehabilitation games
Medical/Education and training

So if you are looking for an excuse to visit Amsterdam, the Games for Health Europe conference is a must do.  It will be exciting to watch this innovative group develop and deliver fresh ideas and research on health games for the European health community.

Register today!
www.GamesforHealthEurope.org

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.

We’ve always known that they’re excellent forms of relaxation, but of late, video and computer games are being tapped by the medical community as ways to improve general health, treat certain disorders, and even provide therapy and rehabilitation. We’ve seen how doctors are using gaming techniques to help patients who’ve suffered from strokes to recover faster, and we’ve heard of the physical workouts that the Wii Fit and other similar gaming machines provide. There are other areas too where gaming is considered beneficial to health, such as in:

• Treating symptoms of ADHD: Video games, when played for an hour or so a day, help children with ADHD channel their excess energy and achieve a relatively peaceful state of mind by giving them a sense of achievement, a condition that is quite rare in children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. While there is no practical (read inexpensive) way to measure the daily returns that gaming provides or see how it helps kids with ADHD, researchers have proved that neurofeedback has positive effects on IQ and attention span, and is also effective as medication.
• Boosting vision: Researchers have found that video games are effective in boosting contrast sensitivity, the ability of the human eyes to distinguish between minute changes in shades of grey against a uniform background. Simply put, contrast sensitivity helps us drive more safely at night and when the external light is poor. This quality decreases with age and was previously thought to be untreatable, except through surgical means. But the Nature Neuroscience study at the University of Rochester has shown that people who play video games that involve aiming and shooting at virtual targets have enhanced contrast sensitivity.
• Improving mental health: We know that video games that involve strategyboost our cognition and memory power, but of late, researchers have found that video games also allow people to beat depression and feel better about themselves. It gives them a sense of achievement as they go from one level to the other and it forms a natural high, the kind associated with exercise and endorphins.

Improving health behaviors and outcomes.

With gaming proving to be a useful health enhancer, it’s no wonder that there are various grants being awarded to study the effect of computerized games on improving health behaviors and outcomes – the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded 12 grants worth $2 million to hospitals and universities, the Princeton Foundation has set up a program called Games for Health as part of its $8.25 million Health Games Research Initiative, the Maine Medical Center in Portland is conducting a study to see if the Dance Dance Revolution dance pad video game can help overweight children lose weight, and the University of Washington School of Medicine is checking to see if mobile games can help people with Type II diabetes improve their eating habits. To put it in a nutshell, the future of health gaming looks bright and healthy.

About the Guest Contributor

This article was contributed by Susan White who regularly writes on the subject of Radiology Technician Schools in Texas. She invites your questions and comments below and at her email address: susan[dot]white33[at]gmail.com.

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.  If you want to show off your work, presenters are still needed so shoot Ben an email bsawyer[at]dmill[dot]com.  If you want to attend the event, simply RSVP to Beth Bryant at bbryant[at]dmill[dot]com.

The details.

• Date: January 26, 2010
• Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
• Location: Hunter College Brookdale Campus, Room @323, 425 E 25th Street, NY, New York
• Cost: FREE
• RSVP: RSVP is REQUIRED to Beth Bryant bbryant[at]dmill[dot]com
• Topics:
  • Anti-smoking games
  • Wii games for burn patient rehab
  • Nutrition and healthy eating projects
• Other great stuff:
  • Networking opportunities with researchers, game developers and students
  • Get exclusive discounts to other events including the Games for Health Conference & Games Beyond Entertainment Week

Your to-do list.

• RSVP is required for this event so email Beth Bryant is required bbryant[at]dmill[dot]com if you plan to attend.
• Speakers are still needed so email Ben Sawyer if you wish to show off your work bsawyer[at]dmill[dot]com.

This event is made possible by support from the Robert Wood Johnson Pioneer Portfolio and the Hunter College Department of Physical Therapy.  View the official flyer for more information!