Health Gaming and the Power of Social

Zambsky, Lisa. "Health Gaming and the Power of Social," iHealthBeat, April 23, 2012.

From the article: "As the gaming industry has grown, so, too, has an interest in harnessing the power of play to help consumers improve their health. Finding entertaining ways of getting people to eat a healthier diet, exercise more or keep track of and treat chronic illness is becoming big business. …Although games have been designed around a wide range of illnesses and conditions, the three areas in medicine getting the most attention today, Ferguson said, are childhood obesity, diabetes, and helping seniors maintain and improve their mobility. Games to treat other medical conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, cancer and injuries also are starting to work their way into the therapeutic process….Many companies, both new and established, have recently entered the market with health-related games that incorporate a social component, whereby people collaborate, compete and support one another in reaching a specific goal. In addition to startups, employers and health insurers have worked to capitalize on this popular trend….Although there is a lot of research currently under way in the area of health games, the general consensus seems to be that a deeper knowledge about their benefits and limitations, as well as what makes" Read more