Wii Fitness

This week, Wii Fitness will hit U.S. stores. We already know that people -- particularly seniors --

have been using the popular game console to increase their level of physical activity, and others have adopted it as a tool for rehabbing from serious injuries (see this earlier post).

Green Games

Jon Lebkowsky has a piece in the Austin Chronicle entitled "The Serious Play in Saving the World," building on the South-by-Southwest panel he ran in March. It's a strong piece on the state of green gaming, and both its potential and challenges.

More on games for health

My last post described one of the 40 or so sessions planned for next month's Games for Health conference. Most of the presentations will focus on games that promote prevention, compliance, or treatment. In addition to the Fold It!

A nexus of Health Horizons' areas of interest: Open Health meets games for health

Next month, the Serious Games Initiative will host its Games for Health conference. There will be sessions on epidemiology in World of Warcraft, Game Addicition, Nurse Training, Rehabitainment, and a special session with some of the biggest companies in healthcare. A schedule is available here.

Wii as a health tool

I was taking a quick break from an editing project and skimming the AP Wire news headlines when this one caught my eye: "Doctors use Wii games for rehab therapy." As IFTF Research Affiliate Richard Adler discussed during his presentation at our Spring 2007 Workshop on "Games and Gaming for Health" (his PowerPoint is available to Health Horizons members in our archives), Wiis have become a surprising source of physical activity for the senior citizen crowd.

Virtual epidemics: playing with infectious diseases

So I was sitting in my car tonight, surfing Google News on my brand-new Helio mobile device, and I came across a story I knew I had to write about. Considering that I started my day blogging at 6:30am, I guess it is fitting that I should end my day the same way.

CIGNA's got game

I just noticed that CIGNA recently decided to make available to its members, at no charge, Re-Mission, a "shoot-'em-up" game for teens with cancer. Developed by HopeLab, Re-Mission is one of the first health-related games to be subject to randomized, controlled trials to test its effect on treatment adherence, cancer-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and quality of life among teenagers and young adults with cancer.