Community Mobilization

The Human Body as a Game

Morphonix is releasing a new game called Neuromatrix is a game based on the Tourque Gaming engine to tell the story of set of rouge nano-bots that are attacking human brains.  The game includes real neurological diagnostic tests to educate players about neurological disorders.  The funding for the title came form the National Institute of Mental Health.  Like the Escape From Diab this game is based from the ground up on mental health and exploration of science and the human brain. 

Immune Attack is a game based on the principals of immunology developed by

Brown

University

, National Science Foundation. It is a first person shoot perspective where you are a nano-bots tasked to help a patient without a functioning immune system.  The game asks players to create an immune system from the ground up. It involves training immune cells such as phagocytosis. Again the human body is the arena in which to play a game and educate players in a subtle way.

The Virtual Patient is an efficient and effective way to train and educate physicians and first responders on complex systems such as the human body.  Developers should be looking to research and evaluate interactive training on a virtual patient to traditional multimedia education.  One arena that has conducted this type of research is the US Navy.  They found that in air craft carrier landing training the outcomes demonstrated that rudimentary and photorealistic training in flight simulators yielded similar efficiency. If this is so then the application of photorealistic training systems should be tasked specifically to highly complex procedures.

Diabetes Education in Videogames - Escape from Diab

Baylor College of Medecine is working with video games to educate youth on diabetes. They are using behavior change methodology and theories to help educate youth and give them a sense of self efficacy. They found that life skills are equally as important as straightforward knowledge. They incorporated this data into ‘Escape From Diab’. They used goal setting, and positive coping and role modeling skills to help the players learn and progress. The NPCs are actually programmed to fail occasionally to help players better humanize and connect with the game characters.

Unique was the demographic data for the target audience. They game is designed to combat type II diabetes. The target was low Socio Economic Status students 12 – 16 years old prominently Hispanic and African American. Focus groups kicked out the following 6 major themes that players wanted in the game; 1 – capture and rescue 2 – evil player has an army 3 – subtle or implied romance 4 – obstacles impede progress 5 – character as a double agent 6 – character back story. These kinds of health games constitute a leap forward with the inclusion of aspects of behavioral psychology, nutritional aspects, as well as physical engagement experts.

Exertainment and Exergaming

The Exergaming and Exertainmnet components of health care could be a new model to help get youth active. At a recent conference US Surgeon General Dr. Carbona said, "The greatest threat o our national security is pediatric obesity". They psychological impacts of obesity are equally as damaging as the physical. Pediatric cancer patients have a better quality of life than obese kids. Physical activity being boring is one of the biggest oppositions to regular exercise. The creation of exertainment and exergaming as a medium to reach youth could hold the answer. Using gaming technology and virtual worlds to make physical activity fun and engaging for youth.  One model is the Exertainment Zone. Tools such as the Sony eye-toy and Dance Dance Revolution are two great examples. Basketball originally was designed as a way to help athletes stay active during the winter months in Massachusets. The digital gamespace may soon have a fuul-body engagement game that breaks out.

Demand Driven view of Games

The “What We Are Facing Panel” constituted of representatives from the CDC, NCI (NIH), and Hospital administration. They are presenting the demand side of the equation. The provider side also has a use for game-based technologies. The NIH is looking for a number of games that clearly communicate and educate about the consequences of choices (tobacco use, diet, exercise) as well as communication games for kids that have cancer. The CDC is also looking for the same. They are interested in incorporating the consequences of choices into current pop-games. One example, sadly, was Rock Star’ Grand Theft Auto where the character benefits from running and avoiding drugs and poor food choices.

Games For Health III Kickoff with Hope Lab Re-Mission

The Keynote today is a presentation by ‘Hope Lab’ the creator of the Re-Mission game. Re-Mission is based on creating a fun engaging experience that aides physical and pharmacological progress. Some of the news coming into the main stream include ‘A Healthy Approach to Game Development’ recently published in the Hollywood Reporter. The Re-Mission development model was based on research; customer focused development, and directed engineering. Hope Lab conducted real research on the effect of Quality Of Life, Chemo compliance, and cancer awareness. Re-Mission had a positive impact on all measures. In their conclusion games can have a positive impact on behavior and psychological health of adolescent cancer patients.

Obesity and secondary illness

According to the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY obesity may be responsible for accelerated development of a particular colon condition more often found in older patients - who also happen to be abdominally obese.  The condition is called Acute diverticulitis, a disease of the colon associated with allow-fiber diet, normally is only seen in patients older than 50, but is becoming more frequently seen in younger patients.

This is pertinent in and of itself, but combined with a number of other findings it is clear that Obesity should be the next major health initiative.  When the UN finds that globally there are more overweight people than malnourished people, and that many impoverished children are obese it is clear that we are approaching a precipice of a health disaster. In the face of such a challenge agencies and governments worldwide should be gin to address the situation head on before the fall out from an obese species paralyzes the global economy with health care costs and lost productivity.

This months Wired has an article on the cover - 'The Thin Pill'. Living through chemistry may be the next evolution of man. The scientific and pharmaceutical communities are rushing to create therapies to save us from ourselves. I'd very much like to see some discussion in the comments regarding community actions that may help avert this crisis.

Fringehog

I am a featured podcaster on Fringehog!  It is my first podcast ever! I am so excited to be featured on the same reel as Michelle Bowman of Global Foresight Assocaites and Jamais Cascio of Open the Future.

Guy Kawasaki and Network Views

Guy Kawasaki posted on a system that mapped the VC network within Silicone Valley.  I was really impressed with the system that completed the analysis as well as the data presented within the visual. This kind of visualization tool aggregates and visualized public data - who is on a board, what VC funded what project, who is a funded researcher.  But as we have seen in the past the implicit data is just as important, if not more so, than the explicit data. Linksviewer is the system that used the data from Link Silicone Valley.

Data like this is similar to looking at an organizational chart. You miss the intricate social connectivities, the community bonds, and the organizational ties. The questions not being answered are 'How did the VC find the project?', 'Was there a connector to link them together?', and 'Is there a Silicone Valley matchmaker working underneath the explicit?'.

Social Innovations needed to optimize Physical Technological Innovations

Jim Pinto posts a very complete post that looks over at the history of the technological innovation and the finer points of the 'S' curve of life. I liked the attached chart showing the development and evolution of some for the most common modern technologies. He looks at the way that tech innovations build on existing structures or they create new ones as the evolve.  In his examples those that build or improve mature much more rabidly.

WSJ Picks Up on Style in Second Life

The WSJ had a sizable article on the front of their business section Friday the 22nd. The points in the article were less about the growth and more about the status and style side of the emerging technology.  Virtual communities are becoming an arena for replacement of material goods. As we seek to climb the Maslow triangle of needs is it possible that some of the highest pinnacles of human development can be fulfilled through a virtual community?  The article moves beyond commerce and looks at personal expression and style.

The article brought me back to a conversation I had with Ethan Zuckerman at Metaverse Road Map.  It was a question of weather the virtual metaverse world can supplant some of the higher order needs and take the pressure of off the environment, allowing it to focus more on the physical needs. can status, and social acceptance be fulfilled on-line? I believe it is possible to a point and we would be actively searching out the outer limitations of the platform and technology effectiveness.