Serious Gaming For Health

TecnaDigit writes "The Games for Health Conference, is being hosted this month by the Serious Games Initiative at the Maryland School of Medicine. The writers at GamEnlight have posted an editorial about the Serious Games organization. The organization has an uphill battle facing them, with the way games are so readily scorned these days. But they recognize the potential for this area as well, and work with honest dedication to develop games for a better, more knowledgeable future. The article also has an insightful look at how the uses of technology and gaming changes as we become older."

The real issue

[Otter]

First, can we please drop this inane persecution complex stuff? There is no one against video games about health care public policy. No one! (Except maybe the Taliban, what's left of them.)

A more useful question, it seems to me, is what one gets out of such games. It seems like their "educational" value is limited to demonstrating the correctness of the underlying ruleset, which is to say, the correctness of the developers' prejudices. Passing that off as "learning" seems entirely counterproductive to me.

Re:The real issue

[Slashdot_Gandhi]

A more useful question, it seems to me, is what one gets out of such games. It seems like their "educational" value is limited to demonstrating the correctness of the underlying ruleset, which is to say, the correctness of the developers' prejudices. Passing that off as "learning" seems entirely counterproductive to me.

Exactly. Who decides what is educational or not? Recently 'intelligent design' was recommended as a part of the curriculum of our 'educational system'. Will the same people proposing 'game

Well, will it have good gameplay?

[Moraelin]

Frankly, I've seen some very outlandish game setups before. Including a couple which were basically all about intelligent design, with you as the intelligent designer. Ironically they were passed off as evolution, except the animals didn't actually evolve through natural selection: you got to choose what you want to change them into. _You_ picked the design that's fit for the climate or challenges ahead. That's ID any way you want to look at it.

Basically the whole question I'd have, and the only question fo

Serious Games?

[Anonymous Coward]

This can be a job for only one man - Serious Sam!

/Frivolous/ gaming for health is more fun!

[GlenRaphael]

This world needs fewer health conferences and more games like Mocap Boxing [videogameworkout.com], Propcycle [videogameworkout.com], and Dance Dance Revolution [videogameworkout.com]. And more home controllers like the Kilowatt Sport [videogameworkout.com].

Fortunately the trend is well established. Thus, I predict that future videogame players will all be lean, flexible, well-muscled, finely-trained athletes able to beat up football players and steal their lunch money.

Re:/Frivolous/ gaming for health is more fun!

[mixtape5]

personally, I have a hard time playing games like DDR and Propcycle. They might be fun once or twice, but as soon as you realize that its artificial exercise its not fun. I would rather go do real activity if I want to do something physical. If I want to play a game, I want to play a game, not track my calories burned.

Re:/Frivolous/ gaming for health is more fun!

[GlenRaphael]

How are stepping, hopping, and pedaling a bicycle not "real activity"?

Personally, the main thing I don't like about home video games is feeling like a couch potato - sitting in one place for hours on end using only thumb and finger muscles. Using a Kilowatt or a DDR pad makes gaming feel more productive, in that you can exercise your brain and your body at the same time.

And you don't have to track calories if you don't want to. But hey, different strokes. It's not like I'm opposed to riding bikes or jog

Re:/Frivolous/ gaming for health is more fun!

[superpulpsicle]

The gun games were the best. Holding up a plastic pistol for 2 hrs fighting off ducks and zombies will give you forearms of steel.

No Sam at SGI?

[El_Muerte_TDS]

They've got a serious David and a serious Ben. But no Sam?

From a personal experience

[u2pa]

Way back in 1995 or 1996, my dad brought home a game made for Galaxo (Smith & Kline) (he works with kids). It was supposed to teach little kids that they had to use their inhaler at regular intervals.

I guess it could actually inspire small kids to use their inhalers.

But it was utter boring, with nothing new at all efter 2 minutes playing.

Mostly about Educational Gaming

[Sugar Moose]

The author certainly mentions Games for Health and what's going on, but two-thirds of the article is more talking about where the educational games went. Maybe he's never heard of Leap Frog, but he does bring up a valid point.

If according to Mr. Popularity himself, Jack Thompson, violent games cause violent kids because the interaction level of aggressive games teaches them aggression far better than any other form of media, shouldn't it follow that educational games teach children educational themes far b

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

NPR story this morning

[fireduck]

NPR had a story on this topic this morning. The featured "game for health" was a piece of pain management software. A virtual reality scuba diving game (complete with helmet and surround sound) that kids can use to distract themselves from the things in hospitals that cause anxiety and increase perceived pain. During trial tests, tolerance for painful events (sticking hand in ice water) increased 3-fold when the game was being played vs. nothing distracting them. Piece also mentioned gluco-boy, the game