The Games for Health Competition is produced by the Games for Health Project. Funding for the project is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.





The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.

For more than 30 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, because when it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime.

The Pioneer Portfolio
As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. That is why the Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio is proud to support Games for Health. The Pioneer Portfolio invests in innovative projects that can lead to fundamental breakthroughs in health and health care. Similar to R&D investments in the for-profit sector, the projects in the Pioneer Portfolio are future-oriented and often look to nontraditional sources and fields to make significant improvements in health.

Additional prize support for the first annual competition is being provided by HopeLab, producers of Re-Mission.



HopeLab
Founded in 2001, HopeLab is a non-profit organization that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness. HopeLab works closely with young people with chronic illness to incorporate their critical and ongoing input into its initiatives. HopeLab is committed to the scientific study of its interventions though formative research and outcome studies to ensure that HopeLab's programs, products and services are effective.

HopeLab’s first project is Re-Mission™, a video game developed for adolescents and young adults with cancer. HopeLab conducted a randomized, controlled trial to test the effect of Re-Mission on its target audience. Preliminary research findings indicate that playing Re-Mission produced significant increases in quality of life, self-efficacy, and cancer-related knowledge. In addition, young people who played Re-Mission maintained higher blood levels of chemotherapy and showed higher rates of antibiotic utilization than those in the control group, both results suggesting that Re-Mission helps patients adhere to cancer therapy regimens.

Re-Mission
HopeLab’s first project is Re-Mission™ -- a video game developed for adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Re-Mission is a challenging, 3D "shooter" with 20 levels that takes the player on a journey through the bodies of young patients with different kinds of cancer. Players control a nanobot named Roxxi who destroys cancer cells, battles bacterial infections, and manages realistic, lifethreatening side effects associated with cancer. HopeLab conducted a randomized, controlled trial to test the effect of Re-Mission on treatment adherence, cancer-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and quality of life among adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Study results, which were presented in March of 2006 at peer-reviewed scientific meetings, indicate that playing Re-Mission produced significant increases in quality of life, self-efficacy, and cancer-related knowledge for adolescents and young adults with cancer. In addition, young people who played Re-Mission maintained higher blood levels of chemotherapy and showed higher rates of antibiotic utilization than those in the control group, both results suggesting that Re-Mission helps patients adhere to cancer therapy regimens.