gray gamers meet rhythm games

Copyright © 2007 by Touchtown Inc. All rights reserved. Duplication prohibited.

Jeff PepperPresident and CEO

Touchtown Inc.

Games For Health Conference

Baltimore, MDMay 9, 2008

Gray Gamers Meet Rhythm Games


Jeff PepperPresident and CEO

Touchtown Inc.

Games For Health Conference

Baltimore, MDMay 9, 2008

Our Excellent AdventureCreating an Exergame Product


?What were we thinking???

Why is this a problem worth

solving?

How did we do it?

Where are we now?

Did we learn anything from all

this?

Our Excellent AdventureCreating an Exergame Product


Why Did We Do This?


• Touchtown is a 9-year old technology company with substantial knowledge about seniors and the retirement industry, but no experience building games

• Market: we serve 100,000 retirement home residents throughout North America, providing in-house TV, digital signage, and web portals

• Challenge: could we deliver the benefits of dance pad games to older adults?

• Investment: 18 months, 40+ people, 5 retirement homes, plus CMU Entertainment Technology Center people

How This Started


Why Is This Worthwhile?


• Reduces risk of obesity1

• Reduces risk of heart disease1

• Reduces risk of diabetes1

• Reduces risk of hypertension1

• Reduces risk of congestive heart disease1

• Reduces risk of osteoporosis1, 3

• Improves cognition2

Benefits of Exercise

1. Physical activity and health: report of the Surgeon General. US Department of Health and Human Services Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 1996.

2. Green CS, Bavelier D. Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature 2003;423(6939):534-7.3. Alekel L, Clasey JL, Fehling PC, et al. Contributions of exercise, body composition, and age to bone mineral density in

premenopausal women. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995;27(11):1477-85.


• Improves proprioception and balance1

• improves cardiorespiratory

endurance2

• Increases strength and endurance2

• Improves body agility and flexibility2

• Improves locomotion and agility3

• Helps with weight loss and fat loss2, 4

• Improves balance, more stable

walking2, 5

Benefits of Dance

1. Crotts D, Thompson B, Nahom M, Ryan S, Newton RA. Balance abilities of professional dancers on select balance tests. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1996;23(1):12-7.

2. Hopkins DR, Murrah B, Hoeger WW, Rhodes RC. Effect of low-impact aerobic dance on the functional fitness of elderly women. Gerontologist 1990;30(2):189-92.

3. Shigematsu R, Chang M, Yabushita N, et al. Dance-based aerobic exercise may improve indices of falling risk in older women. Age Ageing 2002;31(4):261-6.

4. Shimamoto H, Adachi Y, Takahashi M, Tanaka K. Low impact aerobic dance as a useful exercise mode for reducing body mass in mildly obese middle-aged women. Appl Human Sci 1998;17(3):109-14.

5. Verghese J. Cognitive and mobility profile of older social dancers. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006;54(8):1241-4.


• Helps with weight loss1

• Improves attention2

• Reduces anxiety3

• Enhances thinking skills, creativity and

attention3

• Improves social skills3, 4

• Improves endurance, muscle strength,

rhythm4

• Encourages socialization4

Benefits of Dance Pad Games

1. "Dancing video game helps kids avoid weight gain", Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 2007-02-01.2. Green CS, Bavelier D. Action video game modifies visual selective attention. Nature 2003;423(6939):534-7.3. http://seriousgamessource.com/features/feature_051906.php4. Hoysniemi J, International survey on the Dance Dance Revolution game, Computers in Entertainment, April-June

2006


• 31 sedentary women aged 48 – 70 played DDR for 30

minutes twice a week

• Weight loss: up to 20 lbs, average = 1 lb. The

researcher, Dr. Stephanie Studenski, has lost 50

pounds!

• Blood pressure: dropped up to 20 points

• Acceptance: 90% enjoyed it and would recommend

it to others

New Research Released Last Week

Stephanie A. Studenski, MD, MPH, “Interactive Video Dance in Postmenopausal Women: a Pilot Intervention Trial”, American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting


Why Is This An“Interesting”

Challenge?


Traditional Retirement Home Culture:

“Bingo, Birthdays and Crafts”


“And you should see our fitness program!”

Chair exercises


“We have an exergaming program...

we just got a Wii.”

Very popular in retirement communities

Lots of fun, moderate exercise

BUT little impact on balance, strength, bone density, fall prevention


“OK, then let’s get a dance pad game…”


But dance pad gamesaren’t designed for seniors.

Sample screen from Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution®


Our Vision: A Successful Exergame Created Specifically for Older

Adults


Video


Design Innovations


Design Innovation: SENIOR FRIENDLY VISUAL DESIGN


Design Innovation: SENIOR FRIENDLY MUSIC

40+ songs of interest

to older adults


Design Innovation: INTERGENERATIONAL PLAY

• Two people can dance together at different levels of difficulty.

• Scoring is normalized, enabling competition.


Design Innovation: ACCESSIBILITY

Beginner (Level 1): just rocking left and right

Easy (Level 2): add forward movement

Pro (Level 6): comparable to higher levels in teen-oriented dance games


Design Innovation: SAFETY

How do you avoid injury?

Courtesy of http://www.interpretivearson.com/


Design Innovation: SAFETY

Sturdy 3-sided railings


Design Innovation: TRACK MEDICAL OUTCOMES

Each player has their own account.

Enter assessment data.

Access history and trends on the web!


Design Innovation: ONLINE PERFORMANCE TRACKING


Design Innovation: ONLINE COMMUNITY


Demo


CurrentResearch


Humana Health Services Research Center (University of Miami):

•Assess feasibility of using Dancetown in the healthy senior population.

•Single group, pre-post clinical trial conducted at three retirement homes.

Stephanie Studenski, Professor, Department of Medicine and Staff Physician, VA Pittsburgh:

•Follow-on phases of study of dance pad benefits for postmenopausal women.


ProjectStatus


• Technology:

• Commercial version is complete, in use at about 20 locations throughout North America

• Mass market version under development, for summer release

• Distribution:

• Sold in US by Exergame Fitness, in Canada by Wheels of Fitness

• Also available at www.dancetown.us

• Marketing to 44,000 retirement homes starting in June

• Partnering with Humana’s Innovation Center, looking at high volume rollout later this year


Did We Learn

Anything?


• Our initial vision of game development: “build a game”

The Game

• Initial cool idea• Collect user

requirements• Design• Build• Test• Deliver• Repeat


• Our revised vision of game development: “create a sustainable business”:

The Game

Distribution

Packaging

HardwareIntegrationPatent and

TrademarkIssues

Pricing

Chrome

Promotion

CulturalIntegration


Thank You!

[email protected]

gray gamers meet rhythm games

Business

dance dance revolution

dance pad games arent

interactive video dance

teenoriented dance games

konamisdance dance revolution

low impact aerobic dance

older women

benefits of dance crotts