gamification of health – healthcare 3.0
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Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
Gamification of Health – Healthcare 3.0
Gaming INDUSTRY
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
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Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Imran Shah Head - APAC Business, part of the Media and Telecommunication Practice at Kumaran Systems Inc., is responsible for shaping and executing business
turn-around strategy. Execution focus has been on New Market Sensitization & launching New Service Offerings - managing the entire Lead to Cash cycles for the Telecommunication Vertical and can be reached at [email protected]
KUMARAN SYSTEMS INC.
Kumaran Systems, founded in 1990 at Toronto, Canada with global delivery centers across Americas and India is a Major Software Services and Solution provider. With 20+ years of customer orientation, over 1600 engagements across Media, Telecom, Education, Shipping and Banking & Financial services spread across the globe. Kumaran stands as a key advisor to some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in their business driven technology enablement drive. Kumaran Systems growth has been evolutionary that began with Migration Products to address industry challenges for legacy modernization to a Business driven Technology enabler aligned to focused verticals. Over the past two decades Kumaran System customer orientation has enabled its recognition as a major Technology enabler across industry segments delivering enhanced business value for its clients across the globe Kumaran System Customer Orientation is driven by a global delivery business model giving its customers to choose between an Onshore-Nearshore-Offshore mix. The delivery models enable multilevel touch points between the client, partner networks and Kumaran Systems enabling business driven customer sensitivity and agility.With 500+ employees across the Globe, Kumaran Systems offers comprehensive capabilities, resources, facilities (Onsite, Offsite and Offshore) and highly skilled personnel to meet your complex challenges for multiple domains and industries
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
Gamification of Health – Healthcare 3.0
Many new 'experiential' software solutions have emerged and are now being deployed to meet the needs of
health care providers and consumers across the country. These include mobile Health Apps, Health eGames,
Virtual Worlds, Social Networking, and other related solutions. Many of these innovative next- generation
interfaces, software applications, and tools can be used to interact with Electronic Health Record (EHR) and
Personal Health Record (PHR) systems used by health care providers and their patients. These new software
tools have been designed to be used by people to access a wide range of health information and resources,
24x7, at home, work or play – moving us closer to the dream of “Healthcare @ Anywhere”.
This time around at CES Conference 2012, Las Vegas, NV- SensoryAcumen and Scent Geek left the summit
smell filled (Smell Your games with Sensory Acumen and Scent geek-cetera’s New Gaming Gear ).
What kind of smells are we talking about? Well, in a racing game, if a player isn’t doing so hot, the smell of
burning rubber will be strong. Another example is a zombie game, where a player could smell which way a
horde of zombies are hiding based on a rancid, decaying odor in a particular direction and make his way
around them. This type of feedback adds a whole new dimension to the game, immersing the player in a
more memorable experience.
While having the ability to smell gasoline fumes and decaying corpses doesn’t sound like the most appealing
form of entertainment, there are also practical benefits to engaging the sense of smell in a virtual
environment. The USC Institute of Creative Technologies created Virtual Iraq, incorporating smell into the
simulation to aid psychologists treating patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is
known that smells can trigger emotion and evoke memory, and as patients become immersed in a life-like
replica of their stressors, psychologists can help actively guide them through their fears at a pace that works
for them, potentially leading them to recovery. Sensory Acumen’s Game Skunk device will also be able to
serve this purpose, and the company advocates this health care aspect with “gamed skunk.”
Games have a number of applications in healthcare.
Patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease and cancer can use games such as Re-Mission to manage condition.
• Electronic gaming in all its forms is the number #1
entertainment industry on the planet estimated to reach
$76B in 2013 with CAGR of 8.9%.
• Facebook is an enormous success (with revenues
expected to reach $2 billion this year), where 500 million
members are active users connecting with friends and
playing games such as Farmville. The Farmville game is
the biggest single experience on Facebook with 83 million
active players (more than any other computer game).
• Club Penguin, a virtual world, social network and gaming
environment for kids, was purchased by Disney for $350
million.
• Wii Fit has grossed more than $1billion dollars, and the
overall Health eGames industry exceeded $6B dollars with
the majority being spent with out of pocket dollars by
consumers for games with a physical or brain fitness
benefit
• Facebook a social network is nearly equal to Google in
terms of unique visitors. According to AdAge’s Michael
Learmonth “Web users go to Google to figure out where to
go next; they go to Facebook to, well, hang out.”
• Nearly 5 billion phone subscribers worldwide and the
Mobile gaming market is growing 20% a year and is
estimated to reach $11.4B in 2011 with games
comprising70 to 80% of all downloaded apps.
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
Games can be adopted in virtual and real physical therapy (e.g. Wii-Habilitation).
Games with build in health education offer an alternative to traditional learning methods and can significantly improve health knowledge. Professional medical training games such as Burn Center™ can also be used in clinical practice.
Wellness promotion games promote healthy lifestyle and behavioral change and can be classified into four main categories. Exercise games, or ‘exergames’ (e.g. Wii Fit Plus and MayaFit) involve physical activity, healthy eating games improve eating habits and knowledge on nutrition and weight management, mental health games (e.g. Fit Brains) are designed to improve cognitive abilities and smoking cessation games help smokers quit in an entertaining way.
Healthcare marketing games have the potential to reach consumers in an impactful and non-invasive way. They can also be used in a social context to inspire behavioral change.
Healthcare companies are becoming active in the Health eGames market. To qualify as a Health eGame, the multimedia gaming experience must be fun and deliver health
benefits. Health eGames are beyond simple entertainment because they involve health literacy, physical fitness, cognitive fitness, skills development and condition
management. Above all else, Health eGames are tools for behavioral change. For consumers, a change in behavior could mean regular exercise, stress reduction, smoking
cessation, adherence to doctor-recommended medicine usage, weight management, healthy eating habits, or other positive lifestyle changes.
Gamification will revolutionize fitness, health and health care by delivering a new interface with consumers and patients that capitalizes on the strong existing trends in how
people want to receive information while developing new life skills. A gaming interaction engages people who are sometimes patients, while delivering need-to-know and want-
to-know healthcare information and services in an enjoyable and often surreptitious manner while collecting data from consumers they willingly provide.
Gamification, the process of turning work into play, is growing exponentially. It’s no longer a theory; it’s reality, our reality. Social media, gaming and internet connected devices
from mobile phones and accelerators to geolocation, augmented reality and M2M (machine to machine) sensors are changing our way of life.
Just like a hammer (which can be used to build a house or commit a crime) – the new media and technologies can be harnessed for good, or not so good, purposes. The
technology tool is neutral; it’s what we as human do to use it that matters.
The hook for the new model in gaming and especially Health eGames is that instead of escaping from reality to play games, now we are playing games to connect to reality.
We can connect with friends and challenge them to a push up contest, walking challenge or diet program. The success of programs like Weight Watchers is that long before
the current popularity of health-related games, they were using the power of social contagion theory and gaming to equal success. They were using the point system way
before the current craze to link all our purchases and play to a points reward system.
The rise of Medical Education 2.0 which is the application of virtual worlds, high and low fidelity simulations, gaming and virtual reality to medical and professional education
has also proven that these forms of immersive training methods are more engaging than the traditional classroom and just as effective or even more effective to teach and
learn new knowledge and skills. We humans like to learn by doing!
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
The idea of changing or shifting our paradigm from a “have to” to a “get to” mentality when it comes to health will make all the difference. It you get to play a game to monitor
your compliance with a disease condition because it earns you points, or you get to meet up with friends online to compete in a challenge will and are driving better self care
and WILL make us all healthier in the years to come.
For patients, mobile social gaming is first and foremost fun, but it is also an engaging medium to improve health and fitness through an e-community of caring peers and
professionals. By capitalizing on technologies embraced by billions of people worldwide, Health eGames can increase patient participation in a program, thereby improving its
effectiveness. With 4.7 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide, mobility is a key driver for increased “stickiness” of an application, especially when that application is in the
form of an electronic game, which is the #1 form of entertainment worldwide. The mobile gaming market is experiencing significant growth at 20% per year, and 70 – 80% of
applications downloaded are games. And the target demographic is not just young adults, since 42% of Americans over 50 are using social networking tools today.
Gamification is a core essence of the big three of Engagement 3.0
Work as play or Gamification for pure entertainment and for improving life, work or school skills as efficiently but more engaging then other learning methods
Everyone is connected through Internet enabled Mobile Devices
Social Media platforms from Facebook and Twitter to SharePoint along with the apps and compelling game experiences (Farmville) deliver the place to hang, play or do collaborative work
All of this means that now is the time for investment in “Engagement 3.0” is the application of the popular new, experiential media used by billions – social media + mobile +
productive entertainment – in all its various forms (video games, mobile games, virtual worlds, MMORPG, virtual reality, social utilities, etc.) to improve our lives. Engagement
3.0 is a high touch, high tech connection with people that provides real utility in solving problems, improving convenience and enriching lives through social connections.
The trends indicate that mobile social gaming is the increasingly preferred method for consuming content and information. For decades, there has been a disconnect between
vast repositories of information that could improve health status and the targets of that information, the patients that most need to access it. Combining these two realities
means that gaming is the ideal solution for a forward-thinking company to change the paradigm for delivering information that could lead to increased therapy compliance or
collect information that could lead to earlier diagnoses, just to provide two examples.
The gamification of health is a natural progression from the health education model of reading and learning to watching these videos and learning to learn by doing and play,
which by the way is the natural way that all humans learn from the day we are born till the day we die.
Every aspect of fitness, health and health care will be transformed by Engagement 3.0 tools, technologies, programming and experiences, just as every part of our everyday
work, family and play lives are being transformed.
For decades, there has been a disconnection between the vast repositories of information that could improve health status and the beneficiaries of that information, with
multiple data sources on the fitness, health and medical side enabled by data driven Engagement 3.0 media delivers potential to tackle the difficult challenges. Leadership is
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
the key ingredient within forward-thinking companies and networks necessary to guide us from a culture of obesity and reactive care to a culture of health and proactive
support of people in their lives.
Health eGames Market
Worldwide video gaming is a growth business with sales (hardware and software) of $42 billion in 2007, and estimated to eclipse $68 billion by the year 2012 according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers industry report. Health eGames are a new and rapidly expanding market segment of video gaming that incorporates elements of three markets: casual games, serious games and exergames. According to the Casual Games Association, casual gaming is a $2.2 billion market composed of fun and easy to learn video games that can be played across mobile, PC, Mac and console platforms.
1 The serious gaming market is estimated to be
between $1.5 and $2.0 billion according to serious games expert Elaine Alhadeff.2 This market
is focused on utilizing gaming applications to achieve benefits beyond entertainment, such as training, education and performance improvement across industries. Exergames, which involves digital interactive physical motion and fitness games, is a $6.4 billion segment and comprises the vast majority of the Health eGames market.
Residing at the intersection of the casual gaming, serious gaming, and exergaming markets, Health eGames are estimated to be a $6.6 billion market segment within the $42 billion video gaming industry. This is illustrated in the diagram to the right.The $6.6 billion estimate reflects a bottom-up analysis detailed in the Market Profile section below.Health eGames leverage the easy-to-use, highly engaging and interactive nature of electronic gaming to increase health literacy, empower behavior change, and promote professional education. The Health eGames market is comprised of five consumer categories and one professional, including:
Exergames (e.g. fitness, coaching, health promotion)
Brain Fitness (e.g. cognitive fitness, brain training)
Condition Management (e.g. diabetes, asthma, cancer, pain management)
Healthy Eating (e.g. weight management, obesity)
Professional Training (e.g. simulations for training surgeons, pilots, soldiers)
1 Casual Games Association, Casual Games Market Report 2007, page 30.
2 http://www.businessandgames.com/blog/2008/04/reconciling_serious_games_mark.html
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
Growth of the overall video gaming industry is expected to be significantly impacted by the non-traditional gaming markets which include serious games, casual games and Health eGames.
Takeaway
Health eGames Have Gone Mainstream
Health eGames are gaining widespread acceptance across all age groups and customer segments. In the past few years, women Baby Boomers have readily adopted gaming
largely due to the growth of casual gaming and also Nintendo’s strategy of targeting this traditionally under-served market segment. Pogo.com, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts
which operates the largest community of casual gamers, reports that of its 18 million active users, 63% are over age 35 and 61% are women. While children and teens
continue to enjoy Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution, today we find Boomers sharpening their cognitive skills by playing Brain Age while improving balance and strength with
the Wii Fit. Meanwhile, seniors are enjoying virtual bowling and tennis from inside retirement communities by playing Wii Sports.
Social Acceptance of Video Games
Mainstream adoption of Health eGames is in part a function of a mass social acceptance of video games. 35% of parents play computer and video games while 93% of those
parents have children who also play games, according to Peter D. Hart Research Associates. 61% of parents believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives
according to research conducted by the Entertainment Software Association. Exergaming, the largest segment of Health eGames, is likely to gain further social acceptance
and investment as the United States and other countries work to reduce youth obesity, Type II diabetes and sedentary lifestyles. For example, in 2007 the State of West
Virginia began deploying Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution in more than 1500 schools as part of its effort to address the childhood obesity epidemic within the context of their
physicial education programming.3
Benefits of Health eGames Are Being Validated Through a Growing Body of Clinical Research
Several dozen clinical studies have either reported positive results or are currently testing the health benefits of video games on improving health literacy, prevention and
condition management. Completed studies have examined the impact of Heath eGames on cancer, physical fitness, healthy heating, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and
cognitive fitness. For example, a randomized controlled study found that playing HopeLab’s Re-Mission game improved adolescent and young adult cancer patients’ cancer-
related knowledge, self-efficacy and adherence to their prescribed cancer treatment plan, according to a August 2008 article in the journal American Academy of Pediatrics.
Many other clinical trials of Health eGames are underway, including 12 current studies being funded by an $8.25 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
(RWJF). In addition to the evidence base, the experience base of Health eGames is expanding based on the rapid adoption by consumers and professionals, which is being
documented daily by the news media around the world.
3 New York Times, P.E. Classes Turn to Video Game That Works Legs, April 30, 2007.
Kumaran Media & Information Communication Technology Practice Thought Leadership
Organizational Awareness and Support of Health eGames Is Accelerating
For-profit corporations, start-up ventures, government agencies and nonprofits are adopting existing Health eGames and funding next-generation research and development.
Humana operates HumanaGames.com (HG4H) so health plan members and consumers can “play their way to better health,” Kaiser Permanente is empowering consumers to
make healthier food choices through award-winning online Health eGames such as The Amazing Food Detective, while CIGNA distributes Re-Mission to help teens win their
battles against cancer. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an active presence in the virtual reality game Second Life in order to advance education and
drive healthy behaviors, such as encouraging flu vaccines. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $9 million grant in 2005 to Archimage to create two Health
eGames to modify children’s behavior regarding diet and nutrition. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) invited industry thought-leaders and entrepreneurs to a two-day learning summit
on September 18-19, 2008 to examine ways in which Health eGames could enhance J&J’s consumer and pharmaceutical products.
Quality and Quantity of Health eGames are Increasing
Over 300 Health eGames have been developed for consumers, patients and professionals. The number and variety of Health eGames are growing rapidly as more developers
and publishers seek to enter this high-growth market segment. At a September 2008 industry trade show in Montreal, Nintendo and Ubisoft showcased 17 new Health
eGames in the fitness and life-coach genres, including a new cooking guide, a stop smoking coach, two new yoga trainers and a Pilates guide. One new high-profile example
is Nintendo’s upcoming Personal Trainer: Cooking! which helps people shop for food, prepare healthy menus and cook meals with the help of a virtual guide who reads out
instructions during meal preparation. The release of Apple’s iPhone has been a disruptive force across the media and gaming industries including the Health eGames market
segment. As of mid-September 2008, more than 160 “health and fitness” game-like applications were available on the iPhone to consumers seeking mobile self-care tools.
Rapid Innovation and Experimentation of Business Models
The fast-paced video game industry is constantly evolving and creating new revenue models. At the June 2008 Social Gaming Summit in San Francisco, industry-veteran
David Perry described more than 25 video game monetization methods. Health e-game companies are currently using several of these models and are expected to readily
adopt best practices from industry pioneers. Examples of health e-game companies using a few of the top business models include:
Consumer Direct: Nintendo’s Wii, Wii Fit, Brain Age; Ubisoft’s Easyway to Stop Smoking, Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), Posit Science’ Brain Fitness
Program; Fisher Price’s Smart Cycle
Enterprise: Expresso Fitness’ S2U and S2R; Konami’s DDR, CogniFit’s DriveFit, Dakim’s [m]Power; Posit Science’ Brain Fitness Program
Advertising: Fit Brains
Subscription: Lumos Lab’s Lumosity, Happy Neuron
Sponsorship: Kraft Game Pad, HopeLab’s Re-Mission
Nonprofit/Government Grants: Archimage’s Escape from Diab (NIH); ArchImage’s Food Fury (Aetna Foundation), MyPyramid Blast Off (USDA)