The drug company, Bayer, recently introduced a glucose meter that attaches to the Nintendo DS called the Didget, “to help kids manage their diabetes by positively reinforcing consistent blood glucose testing habits and awarding points that kids can use to unlock new game levels and customize their gaming experience.”
On the one hand, it is great Bayer is applying gaming methods to helping kids manage type 1 (early onset) diabetes, which requires education and constant monitoring. On the other, it is quite worrisome the need for products to manage type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, which is often associated with obesity, is predicted to explode in the coming decades. The Center for Disease Control estimates 1 in 3 children born in the U.S. after 2000 will develop diabetes during their lifetimes, with some minorities as high as 1 in 2. The consequences are well-documented: blindness, amputations, kidney dialysis, heart disease and early death.
Those numbers are shocking. You could make the case that, after education, helping Americans eat better and maintain healthy lifestyles is the most important issue facing the country.
Given the importance of the issue and the proven power of social games to educate and incentivize behavior, it would be great to see developers create games with the appeal of FarmVille that incorporate some real education and awareness about the contents of food, if not outright encouraging users to participate in real exercise. True, there are sites like Skimble.com, a fellow Founder Institute graduate which was featured recently in the NY Times and does a great job of building community around physical activity. However, these sites are mainly for folks who are already active and looking to connect. What I am referring to would be games that capture the imagination of people of all ages, many of whom currently do not regularly exercise or eat healthy, and inspire them to learn about food and diet, and at least exercise virtually–maybe with a halo effect that leads to real life changes.
Certainly, KlickFu will support some simple instant games and apps that could play a role in this type of market. However it happens, it would be great to see a continued trend of gaming used to help kids and adults become healthier and more engaged in the real world, not just the virtual one.
Mark, you’ve got your Type I and Type II diabetes mixed up. 1 in 3 Americans may develop diabetes, but not the early onset / juvenile version (Type I) that the Didget targets. (The majority of children w/ diabetes are Type I, which is an autoimmune issue not related to weight, diet, etc.)
I should add, your basic argument is still pretty interesting: If adults can be swept up in social games like foursquare and Farmville, no reason to think why games couldn’t help motivate another demographic like folks w/ Type II….
Jason, Thanks for the correction. I paraphrased this info from yourtotalhealth.com, which is a service of NBC and iVillage (http://healthbeat.yourtotalhealth.com/2009/06/food-inc-does-our-food-system.html):
The CDC estimates that 1 in 3 Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset, or childhood diabetes. Among African Americans and Latinos, the rate will be 1 in 2. Comparable numbers exist for Type 2 diabetes, with an alarming rate of children now developing what had been the adult-onset version of this epidemic.
Based on your comment, I am guessing even this info may be inaccurate. In any case, your point is well taken and I will update the post. Apologies for my ignorance, I thought all people with Diabetes were required to monitor blood glucose, regardless of the cause.
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