Game Designers Target Child Obesity

	Tweet

Video games are largely one of a myriad of entertainment devices that individuals point to as causes for obesity. However, some game designers are banding together to use the power of video games as entertainment to teach children better nutritional habits.

Game designers traveled to George Mason University to partake in a U.S. Department of Agriculture event called “Health Games Challenge”. One such example of the type of game being created is where you play as a flying superhero that dodges junk food like pizza and doughnuts, while snapping up all the broccoli you can find. The key is to try to reach the end of the level with the correct amount of calories.

One of the challenges of making these info-tainment styled games is that they still have to be fun and engaging for the players, something that the designers admit is an issue.

“Usually, everything goes smoothly until you startplaying it and you realize it’s not fun,” Fisher-Lasky, a 24 year-old George Mason game design student said. “You have to spend 60 percent of your time changing what you’ve done because it’s not fun.”

Regardless, it’s good that such games like this exist. Obesity is a major problem with America, driving health care costs through the roof. Educating children on healthy eating habits through the avenues that children are actively engaged in is at the very least a good starting ground.

[via Washington Post]

RELATED STORIES:
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with different types of obesity in black and white children   Alcohol Has Stronger Impact on Gastric Bypass Patients, Study Finds   Six in 10 adult Beijingers are overweight - paper   Snoring may affect kids’ mental abilities   Obesity risks start before birth   Physically active kids get into less trouble   Study says fat is the sixth “taste”   Health Ministry launches obesity control drive   Schizophrenia drug calms disruptive children   Treat kids’ discomfort, not fevers: Pediatricians   Babies and toddlers should learn from play, not screens   Education may help parents use antibiotics wisely

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]