June 12, 2008 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Games continue to capture the attention of the nonprofit world as potential tools for change.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is giving more than $2-million in grants through its Health Games Research program for a dozen studies that explore how video games can motivate people to take steps to improve their health.
Games for Change held its fifth annual conference in New York this month, drawing more than 300 participants from the game industry, education, and philanthropy.
Of the 112 research proposals that were submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 12 received $200,000 apiece to conduct one- to two-year studies of games that engage players in physical activity or encourage them to take better care of themselves.
“We’re trying to find positive ways to use video games,” said Debra Lieberman, a researcher at the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In addition to promoting activities that improve health, many of the studies seek to help those who are already suffering from chronic conditions.
One such study developed by researchers at the University of Vermont, in collaboration with patients, proposes to use a device known as a breath controller to discover whether a breath-biofeedback video game for children with cystic fibrosis can improve the way they administer inhaled medicines to themselves.
Another study, proposed by the University of South Carolina Research Foundation, will seek to measure the potential of video games that require physical activity to play them as a means to help stroke survivors recover their motor skills.
“Stroke victims are willing to work harder, reach further, persevere longer in their rehabilitation when they have a game environment in which to try out their skills,” said Ms. Lieberman. “In fact, there’s a new term being used called ‘Wii-habilitation’ because the Nintendo Wii with its motion-sensitive remote control is offering a lot of new ways to offer rehab.”
Although interactive games are typically thought of as a medium designed for young players, two of the studies focus on older people, including one by the University of Florida that will explore the effects of a driving video game on the visual attention skills of adults 65 and older. Another study proposed by Union College will use virtual cycling teams to see how they influence exercise behavior and health among adults 50 and older.
“The neat thing about a game is that it involves challenge to reach a goal,” said Ms. Lieberman. “That’s why we get hooked on games, that’s why we love to play them, and we’re always striving to do better and better.”
At the Games for Change meeting, designers unveiled Play the News, the latest offering from ImpactGames, which created PeaceMaker, a game in which players are encouraged to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Play the News seeks to increase engagement in current affairs by presenting players with factual situations and asking them to predict both what will happen, and what should happen.
It’s a long-term game — over time, as the real-world news unfolds, the players who guessed the correct outcome of events win points.
The overall budget for the game was $750,000.
For more information on Play the News: Go to http://www.playthenewsgame.com.
For more information on Games for Change: Go to http://www.gamesforchange.org.
For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Go to http://www.rwjf.org
