SGS Feature: 'Helping Stem Diabetes With Nanoswarm'

Today's main feature written for Gamasutra sister site Serious Games Source, which deals with games created for training, health, government, military, educational and other uses, takes a look at the upcoming serious game Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space from Archimage. Specifically, the site sat spoke with Archimage's Victoria Thompson, DrPH concerning the game, as well as Archimage's goals within the serious games market. In this excerpt, Thompson offers her perspective on why Archimage feels a game like Nanoswarm is needed: “The worldwide increase in childhood obesity has been related to an increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has said evidence shows 1/3 of Americans born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in the US and a leading cause of death. The good news is, a vast majority of diabetes cases are easily prevented by healthy diet and exercise. A population where 1 in 3 Americans are diabetic will create huge societal and economic burdens. The National Institutes of Health are looking for ways to stem the tide, including funding projects to change the diet and exercise habits of kids. Traditionally, school-based interventions have been used to reach large numbers of children. These interventions, however, have had limited success. Though still in its infancy, computer-based interventions, including video games, have proven effective in promoting behavior change. This may be due to the ability of video games to challenge players to more effectively use information learned during gameplay and incorporate “virtual experiences” into their daily lives.” You can now read the full Serious Games Source feature on the subject, including more of Thompson's comments regarding Nanoswarm (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).