The Serious Games Initiative

May 9, 2008

“Serious Games” sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s the best way to describe what’s going on at the Baltimore Convention Center today.

More than 300 people are in town for the fourth annual Games for Health conference - a group that is serious about the use of video games for health benefit.

For instance, they’ll reveal a new version of the popular video game Guitar Hero that’s designed to be used by an arm amputee, for rehabilitation. They’ll examine how the use of “PD Wii” is aiding balance and mobility in Parkinson’s patients. One panel will discuss how exercise games (or “exergaming”) in gyms can be used to make physical activity more fun.

And video games are even being used to train medical professionals. Physicians and EMTs are immersed in a 3D simulation of an emergency situation or a patient interaction to practice responding.

Parents will appreciate this one: a team of graduate students at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center are working on an “interactivity kiosk” originally titled Project ER that is aimed to lower stress for the 60,000 children who visit Pittsburgh Medial Centers ER each year.

And this year, for the first time, a health insurance company is participating. Humana is a conference sponsor.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Posted by The Daily Record | Filed Under business, health 

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