HEALTH GAMES
companies may have a neat product and
a business plan, but they’re struggling.
Five years ago, I left most of my meetings
shaking my head left and right, not up
and down. But we are seeing people get-
ting smarter.”
To Sawyer, the urgent need to improve
health care quality and outcomes coupled
with forthcoming changes in reimburse-
ment philosophy will, in tandem, push
health games to the forefront.
“The health care industry is going to
have a gigantic squeeze defined by low-
er reimbursement or wholesale-based
changes to reimbursement now going on
with quality based outcomes. There are
reasons to believe game-based training or
simulations can help. It is a natural fit, but
in a specific compartment.”
Beyond that, Sawyer says the industry
can “use games to hold down cost by play-
ing a role in a larger ecosystem of helping
people avoid getting sick. Wellness, self-
directed care, and social networks—so
people are taking care of each other—can
use games as a high level interface.” Indi-
vidualized sensors and patient records are
part of the mix, he says. “It is very niche,
but exploding.”
Good old-fashioned consumerism
will be the ultimate driver, he predicts.
“The defense
department is using
serious game training
for soldiers.”
—noah Falstein
“A large number of consumers already
have bought fitness and brain training
products,” Sawyer says. “If we had a great
game for parents of autistic children,
it would not be a question if we could
sell it. Consumers are ahead of the market. They are trying to crack the nugget
of personal behavior. The sweet spot is
large-scale employer wellness systems.
If you get their buy-in, you will see experimental pools. That will narrow down
what will work.”
Fun and Games with a Purpose
CaLIFORnIa STaRT-up IS nOT FOR KIdS OnLy
NAME:
FOUNDED:
SIZE:
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Zamzee is a creation of the HopeLab Foundation, a not-for-
profit philanthropical organization launched by the founders
of EBay. “We are now a separate, for-profit company, a social
enterprise,” says Zamzee CEO Lance Henderson. “We want
to advance the mission of HopeLab and do it in a financially
sustainable way.”
HopeLab had already devised a game designed to sup-
port pediatric cancer patients—an effort that was widely
applauded across the game industry and whose validity was
verified in a clinical trial. Zamzee’s tackling an even broader
audience: the game seeks to encourage young people to
remain physically remain. The backdrop is rapidly growing
incidence of obesity and overweight among children and
teenagers.
Zamzee has developed two components in its game suite,
says Henderson. First is an “accelerometer,” an activity meter
that kids keep in their pocket. Second is a web site, where
kids download data from their meter—a 1x3 inch piece of
hardware. The meter measures both the time and intensity of
any activity, such as running and jumping. Once kids download their data, they create a personal Web page showing a
log of their activity via a personalized avatar. In turn, Zamzee
Lance Henderson,
CEO
gives them goals and “virtual money” based on their achievements. By racking up points, kids can buy gadgets, gift cards
or even make contributions to charities. The cost is underwritten by corporate sponsors.
The game embraces social media as well. Kids can
“friend’ other kids on the site and compare themselves to
others in their social circle. To uphold online privacy protection laws, kids don’t identify themselves directly on the site
and would have to know the online moniker of a real-life
acquaintance before linking to them online, Henderson says.
In its first year, Zamzee registered 10,000 users—about 20
percent of whom were adults, adds Henderson. The com-
pany distributed the gadgets free for three months, and now
charges $30 for the activity meter. “Many families buy a sec-
ond unit for the unit,” he says. “Exercise is social in nature
and we get better results when people do it a group.”
Health plan Cigna is testing out the program on a trial ba-
sis by underwriting its introduction into a school system. “The
health care industry is looking for low-cost tools they can put
in the hands of consumers to get them engaged,” says Tate.
“Zamzee is low-cost product a doctor can place in the hands
of a kid and say, ‘this is fun and still good for you.’”
