FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Brian Wesolowski, (202) 457-8100, brian@lipmanhearne.com
Ben Sawyer, (207) 773-3700, bsawyer@dmill.com
ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
WINNERS OF 2007 GAMES FOR HEALTH COMPETITION
August 20, 2007 – Today the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced its 2007 Games for Health Competition winners, who each uniquely applied an interactive computer or video game-based solution to a specific health problem. Entries were judged and a total of $30,000 was awarded to winners in three categories: working game prototypes, general storyboard/design treatments, and student storyboard/design submissions. The storyboard categories required a detailed game description and rationale, while the prototype category required the submission of a functional video game and rationale.
“We had many strong submissions to the competition in its first year and it was amazing to see the variety of ideas and health applications,” said Chinwe Onyekere, program officer for the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Whether it’s developing an innovative way for training people in providing medical care or inspiring people to exercise, we’re enthused by the creativity of groups and individuals who are bringing together the best of both the gaming and health care worlds.”
The winners of the 2007 Games for Health Competition are:
Open Prototype: Neuromatrix, submitted by Morphonix of San Mateo, CA - $20,000
Neuromatrix is a game designed to teach and keep adolescents ages 11-14 interested in learning about the brain. The game serves to show adolescents that the brain is not an abstract topic, and aims at inspiring more students to enter the field of neuroscience. The game takes players through a series of short movies and games where they participate in a neurological exam very much like a neurologist would in a real life setting. Neuromatrix was funded by research grants from the National Institute of Health’s Small Business Innovation Program.
Open Storyboard: Food Finder, Erin Hoffman, Albany, NY, -$5,000
Food Finder is an action-packed game as envisioned for the Nintendo DS system. It shows children ages 8-14 how to make healthy eating choices through an interactive quest to find nutritious food groups. A status bar is present during the entire game that monitors nutritional facts such as calcium, protein, vitamin C and a healthy heart, so children can see how different foods affect their bodies. As players work through the game, the healthier food choices become harder to find. Food Finder’s objective is to target young children with the typical gaming concept but to combat childhood obesity simultaneously.
Both of the open competitions were open to U.S. resident over the age of 18.
Student Storyboard: Bizarro Olympics, Team Fun, University of Indiana- $5,000
Bizarro Olympics is an exercise video game concept designed for the Nintendo Wii™. This exergame, or video game requiring physical activity for game play, blends the traditional surreal gaming environment with an exercise theme. The game takes players through a series of futuristic Olympic-style events, while educating players about the important lifestyle choices that should be made to maintain good health – and win the game.
The student storyboard competition was open to U.S. college students.
“These three winners distinguished themselves in their creativity and the way they addressed serious health-related problems,” said Games for Health Director Ben Sawyer. “The Games for Health Competition and its entrants are exploring new frontiers in harnessing the power of video games to improve the lives of people.”
Other leading entries proposed games that focused on safe driving for teens, nutrition, exercise, teen smoking, heart disease, disabilities, health in developing countries and brain science. Entries included games and game concepts developed primarily by individuals as well as projects supported by health and health care organizations, including the National Institutes for Health.
Each entry was required to state and define a problem in health or health care and then create a solution that spoke to the problem. The contest launched in September 2007 and entries were due April 1.
Judging took place over the spring and summer by leading gaming and health experts, including: Skip Rizzo, Ph.D. a well-known games for health researcher at University of Southern California and the Institute for Creative Technologies in Marina Del Rey, CA; Dave Warhol, CEO, Realtime Associates, one of the longest-established independent game production studios in operation today and developer of HopeLab’s Re-Mission game to help kids fight cancer, and; Dr. Claudia Johnston of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi who is leading development of Pulse!! a game-technology based project for training medical professionals, Noah Falstein, a game designer who has worked for HopeLab, LucasArts, and Dreamworks Interactive. Full contest rules are available online at www.gamesforhealth.org/competition.
RWJF, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated to health and health care, was the lead competition sponsor. Support for Games for Health and this contest was provided through RWJF’s Pioneer Portfolio, which supports innovative projects that may lead to breakthrough improvements in health and health care. Additional prize support was provided by HopeLab, Inc., a nonprofit organization that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illnesses.
About Games for Health
Games for Health are produced by The Serious Games Initiative, a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars effort to apply gaming to a range of public issues. The competition sought out entrants who developed game concepts or prototypes focused on the improvement of health and health care issues. For more information, visit www.gamesforhealth.org/competition.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pioneer Portfolio
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. The Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio supports innovative ideas and projects that may trigger important breakthroughs in health and health care. Projects in the Pioneer Portfolio are typically future-oriented and look beyond conventional thinking to explore solutions at the cutting edge of health and health care.
For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
Media Notes
If you are interested in interviewing a Games for Health spokesperson or the winners of the competition, please contact Brian Wesolowski (202) 457-8100, brian@lipmanhearne.com. Images of the winning prototype and storyboards are available upon request.
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