Games engage parts of the brain needed for critical thinking, judgement, and memory. Now, gaming startup Akili is trying find out it its games can play a role in health by helping improve the cognitive abilities in those who have autism.
Nintendo is the beloved creator of fan favorites, such as Mario and Link, are currently on the track to watching you while you sleep. Don’t worry it is not as creepy as it sounds this is Nintendo. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has been rallying for support in this big decision, saying that the new pillars of Nintendo include not only games and consoles but, a third pillar health as well.
Back pain is a common problem for many people. Exercises can help strengthen back muscles and alleviate the pain. But the problem with these exercises is compliance. Even when people know that the exercises can lead to relief, they just don’t stick to the program. There’s a new game that can solve that problem by becoming part of your health regimen.
As the world settles into 2015, we’re reaching that point when people start to slack on their “get fit” New Year resolutions. If you’re starting to feel the drag of going to the gym, you might benefit from the growing number gamification mobile apps that aim to make physical fitness fun. For many people, gamification is the…
In order for all the new health care programs to work as they were designed to, it is important that young adults sign up for health care as well as older individuals. In the health care world, young adults are often referred to as “young invincibles” because most young adults have not yet developed any…
The game “FoldIt” has emerged as one of the more prominent examples of how games have applications in health, challenging players to fold a computer image of a protein into shapes that could be used in potential new treatments for disease. Now the game has found a place in research on one of the more prominent…
One of the biggest problems that doctors have is getting patients to take their medication as directed, and keep taking it for the duration of the prescription. A Connecticut neurosurgeon came up with a game that encourages people to stick with the drug regimen. Dr. Katrina Firlik co-founded a company called HealthPrize, which developed gamification mobile…
Researchers at Brigham Young University did an extensive study on different fitness apps; downloading and trying out 132 apps to examine how they worked and what techniques they used to motivate their users. What they discovered has sparked an interesting debate. Are “health games” that utilize gamification helpful or hindering users’ fitness goals? As an example,…
Anyone who experiences incontinence knows that it’s no fun. Leaky bladders can be an embarrasing problem. Kegel exercises can help strengthen the internal muscles that help with bladder control, but some women find them boring. Now a game developer have comeup with an answer – a video game that turns kegels into a game in health….
The human body’s immune system works as a complex network whose different parts coordinate to fight off a wide range of threatening pathogens. But educators run into challenges bringing textbook teaching about the immune system to life. Ink and paper just don’t do justice to explain the complexity and the interactivity of the immune system…
One of the most amazing transformations using gamification has come from the medical field. Concepts using game mechanics are making their way into a myriad of medical interactions – and probably shouldn’t be super surprising by this point. However I was pleased as punch during my most recent allergist visit to find that the old-school…
Qstream Powers AMS Employee Knowledge Retention American Medical Systems (AMS) has found a new way to boost employee engagement for sales personnel by using a gamified application called Qstream (@qstream). The app aims to improve employee engagement by presenting employees with challenges and rating their responses on a company-wide scoreboard. The Problem AMS was trying to solve a…
Creative Mobile App Imagined by Daughter And Built By Dad Have you been trying to improve your parenting and spend more time with your kids? A new gamification startup, Mini Hug, may be able to help you become a better parent. Available for free from the App Store, Mini Hug (@MiniHugApp) is an app for parents and their children…
This Smart Shoe Will Enhance Your Gaming Or Tell You More About Your Health With many questioning personal fitness tracker viability, Boogio by REFLX Labs is a literal leap in wearable tech. It is, essentially, a sensor that uses your feet as a controller. As reported by Polygon, Boogio uses in-sole pressure sensors and an accelerometer clip to…
All Of Your Medical Records In One App There’s never been a better time to monitor and track your health. Anyone interested in tracking information about themselves can use sophisticated activity-monitoring gadgets like Fitbit and Pebble, countless diet and weight tracking apps, and even high-end medical devices that track glucose levels, blood pressure, or blood-oxygen…
