Tobacco use among active-duty military personnel is almost double what it is in the civilian population, and while smoking has decreased overall in the U.S., it’s been on the rise in the military since 2002. To change that, the Department of Defense (DoD) is looking to…videogames?
The government agency has awarded researchers at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston a $3.7 million grant create a video game that will deter soldiers from smoking and help those who already do to quit.
"The video game in general is becoming more popular among researchers who want to deliver a health message to a target audience," says Alexander Prokhorov, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson, who will lead the work. Video games are also being used to teach people about nutrition, asthma and other health-related issues, he notes.
Here’s a very cool use of videogames for a great cause.
As part of a larger corporate partnership with the U.S. government, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is launching a free multi-player PC game in Kenya intended to change HIV risk perception, attitude and behavior. Called “Pamoja Mtaani” (”Together in the Hood”), it’s launching in youth centers in Nairobi, Kenya.
This is how WBIE describes it:
The “Pamoja Mtaani” game, developed by noted serious games developer, Virtual Heroes, Inc., follows five strangers who are brought together through unforeseen circumstances, losing what is most precious to each of them. Working their way through various East African neighborhoods, players must recover the stolen items and help an injured woman on their quest. Along the way, they will experience barriers and facilitators to behavior change through a variety of missions and mini-games.
The five person game, which can be played via LAN, also has music from Kenyan hip-hop artists. All of the characters are being introduced via trailers that the studio is producing.
JumpSport, the leading provider of safety-engineered trampolines and safety net enclosures, has introduced an all new trampoline mat surface that turns backyard trampolines into giant game boards. The Jump2it(TM) GameMat looks like a huge round clock face with colorful shapes, numbers and math symbols. It transforms the trampoline surface into a fun and educational wonderland where kids can become life size game pieces in their own backyards.
Tobacco use among active-duty military personnel is almost double what it is in the civilian population, and while smoking has decreased overall in the U.S., it’s been on the rise in the military since 2002. To change that, the Department of Defense (DoD) is looking to…videogames?
Here’s a very cool use of videogames for a great cause.
JumpSport, the leading provider of safety-engineered trampolines and safety net enclosures, has introduced an all new trampoline mat surface that turns backyard trampolines into giant game boards. The Jump2it(TM) GameMat looks like a huge round clock face with colorful shapes, numbers and math symbols. It transforms the trampoline surface into a fun and educational wonderland where kids can become life size game pieces in their own backyards. 
