A new video game created by Yale School of Medicine researchers hopes to help "at-risk" youths learn about and avoid the risks associated with HIV. The game was developed as part of the Play2Prevent initiative at Yale, a collaboration and partnership between scientists, educators, video game designers and developers, and community-based organizations. The game development process is being spearheaded by Schell Games.

Dr. Lynn E. Fiellin, associate professor of medicine at Yale, says the goal is to develop educational materials and "targeted interventions" that produces risk reduction and prevention in youth and young adults.

"Games are powerful tools in helping people explore roles and risks before life makes them all-too-real and risky," says Fiellin. "The Play2Prevent initiative focused on helping its players meet the challenges at-risk youth must face head on."

Carnegie Mellon University's Lori Holt and Sung-Joo Lim and Stockholm University's Francisco Lacerda are using video game training with a mock "alien" language to replicate the challenges of learning languages as an infant. The research found that listeners were to quick recognize word-like units. The study was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

To uncover how spoken sounds are decoded by the brain, the research team designed a video game narrated in deliberately distorted speech. The soundtrack (unintelligible babble in any language) was the only source of instruction for the 77 adult players in the study. After only two hours of play, the participants could reliably extract world-length sound categories from continuous alien sounds and apply that learning to advance through the game.

Serious games developer Red Hill Studios has developed a series of games designed specifically to help Parkinson's patients using physical therapy. Red Hill is working with the UCSF School of Nursing on the software, which uses Microsoft's Kinect. The software offers users specific motions and gestures that have been proven effective in improving the gait and balance of those suffering from the disease.

"These games demonstrate the value of combining innovative health game designers with a top flight clinical team," said Bob Hone, creative director of Red Hill Studios. "Creating games that are both fun to play and provide concrete medical benefits takes a special kind of team. We are much more than the sum of our parts."

From Red Hill's web site:

The seventh annual Games for Health Conference is one week away and organizers are reminding anyone that wants to attend that the registration period is almost over. The three day event dedicated to the convergence of games and the medical field takes place May 17-19 in Boston, MA.

Over the course of the annual three day conference over 120 speakers will participate in over 100 talks covering a variety of topics including medical simulations, serious games, game research, and new video game technologies that are being used to advance the healthcare field in the real world.

Speakers include Dr. Martin Seligman from The Positive Psychology Center (University of Pennsylvania); Dr. Roni Zeiger from Google; Shellie Pfohl; Executive Director of The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition; and many more. The event will also offer two networking receptions, contests, group activities, fourth annual Games Accessibility Day, various workshops, and more.

A new web site called Anti-AgingGames.com launches today, offering brain fitness optimized for "mentally healthy people" over the age of 35. The site is the brainchild of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who serves as advisor and as the company’s chief game visionary. The company also announced that 20 percent of its pre-tax profits will be given to charity.

The site will offer visitors "scientifically-based brain fitness games" optimized for mentally healthy people over age 35, for a monthly subscription fee. Brain training activities include memory, concentration and focus games, as well as games that provide relaxation and stress reduction.

Nurses in the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital are using iPads to eliminate or minimize pain in patients. The Children's Comfort Program (CCP) has implemented procedures for expediting pain care, allowing nurses to administer pain relief immediately after pain has been assessed and to administer anesthetizing gel in anticipation of a suture repair.

A major focus for the CCP has been improving children's experiences during procedures. In anticipation of treatment, children often become anxious, which worsens their experience and often exacerbates their condition. One particularly successful strategy embraced by the CCP team is the use of iPads and entertainment software such as music, videos, interactive games, etc.

Insurance company Aetna is banking on a new partnership with social game developer Mindbloom Partners that it hopes will motivate its customers to live healthier lifestyles. Mindbloom will deliver its game Life Game to Aetna customers. The game, which launched last July, encourages players to live healthier, more balanced lives by providing a variety of challenges related to health, spirituality, relationships, leisure, lifestyle, finances, creativity, and career.

Players grow and maintain a "Life Tree" that represents the life players want to have. As the player progresses, branches and leaves representing specific goals grow and they are rewarded with virtual currency to unlock new features and content.

A new study uses a mix of video games and a digital spirometer (as an input device) to help children with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common chronic lung diseases found in children and young adults. It can cause excessive amounts of mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive tract, making breathing difficult. Traditionally, to clear mucus from the airways patients must do breathing exercises called "huffing" several times a day. Many children often refuse to do this, so doctors found a way to get them to do it while having fun playing video games.

A team of students are using Wii Balance Board in concert with specialized motion-tracking system software to help patients with physical therapy. A team of undergraduates at Rice University in Texas have found that this method is a cost-effective way of helping patients recover from serious injuries. The team has linked five Wii Balance Boards together between a pair of handrails, used with a balance training system they created. The system is mostly being used with children at the moment.

The seventh annual Games for Health conference is gearing up for its launch on May 18 and registration is opened for those planning to attend. From May 18 – 19 (registration on March 17), join hundreds of game developers, health professionals, and leading researchers will attend the event to brainstorm and debate how video games and video game technologies that can work to improve health and healthcare.

The winners of the Youth Prize for original game designs have been selected by the National STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Video Game Challenge. The 12 U.S. students (grades 5-8) were announced by United States chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra.

The science-themed "You Make Me Sick!" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Developer Prize category, and a collection of math games called "NumberPower: Numbaland!" received the Collegiate and Impact prizes. Filament Games' Dan Norton and Dan White won the grand prize, and will receive $50,000 for their game about bacteria and viruses.

The complaints of a disabled gamer who had a number of problems playing his copy of Dead Space 2 (for PC) is being helped by developer Visceral Games. British gamer Gareth Garratt, who has to play the game with his chin because he suffers from cerebral palsy, was upset that the new horror game from EA's Visceral Games studio wouldn't let him reconfigure the walking keys. Frustrated with the lack of reconfiguration options in the game (a common complaint among disabled gamers for many of the top console and PC games on the market), Gareth took to the OverClockers UK forum to complain about it.

Turn 10 and Microsoft's Forza Motorsports 3 is the winner of this year's Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year award from the AbleGamers Foundation. Every year the AbleGamers Foundation selects one mainstream video game title that offers the best accessibility to players. According to AbleGamers, "recipients must demonstrate excellence in accessibility by including options that allow for gamers with a wide range of disabilities to fully enjoy the game."

"Microsoft is honored and delighted to accept the Accessible Game of the Year Award from AbleGamers for Forza Motorsport 3," said Aaron Kornblum, Director Security Policy, Interactive Entertainment Business, which includes Xbox and Xbox Live. "We believe that making technology as accessible as possible will enable people throughout the world to realize their full potential, regardless of their abilities."

UK-based game player lobby group Gamers' Voice held its first "Parliamentary Games Day" with Ministers of Parliament and video game industry representatives at the House of Commons. The group describes the event as "a real success" with politicians of all three main political parties attending to play video games with Gamers' Voice on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

A total of 16 MPs attended the event. John Whittingdale, Ed Vaizey, Luciana Berger, Clive Betts, Pete Davison, Don Foster, Dr Julian Huppert, Karen Lumley, Jason McCartney, Nigel Mills, Stephen Mosley, Andy Nuttal, David Cairns, Simon Kirby, David Hanson and Keith Vaz all made appearances at the event.

A highlight of the event was when MPs John Whittingdale and Don Foster traded punches through the Kinect Sports boxing game.

Tickets for the 2011 Gamification Summit have sold out according to the event's organizers. Organizers say that, for those who were not able to purchase tickets, live streaming coverage via Fora.tv will be available. Those who register to watch the live streaming coverage before January 14 will receive special $149 early bird pricing. After January 14, the rate will go up to $199. In case you've never heard of it, gamification is the use of game mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences in a non-gaming environment.

At the event, Liz Gannes of AllThingsDigital will interview Jane McGonigal, author of "Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Happy and How They Can Help Us Change the World." Liz Gannes has been covering Silicon Valley business technology since 2004 and is the founder of NewTeeVee. Additional speakers include the CMO of RecycleBank Samantha Skey, Ian Bogost of Georgia Institute of Technology and Evan Tanna of Shopkick.

Does Nintendo know something we don’t?

Despite a slew of eye specialists stating there’s no evidence that 3D imagery is harmful to young children, Nintendo continues to bang the “no 3D for the kiddies” drum.  In fact, at this weekend’s Nintendo World event, Nintendo only allowed small children to play its 3DS demos in 2D.  It enforced this rule by having parents mark their children with a Toad character sticker.  (AE: Um, okay...)

Nintendo CEO, Satoru Iwata addressed the 3DS warnings in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.  As many of our readers have speculated, Nintendo’s simply covering its butt against potential lawsuits.

Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  Is it okay for my 6-year-old to play Nintendo 3DS?

These are the questions that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time (give or take).  While we don’t have a solid answer for the first two, a consensus seems to be forming on the third – yes, it’s fine.

In addition to several eye specialists who see nothing wrong with the kiddies using Nintendo’s 3D handheld, the American Optometric Association also chimed in on the 3DS concerns via press release:

The New York Times points out that doctors are confused by Nintendo’s strong warnings related to the upcoming 3DS handheld. Pediatric ophthalmologists tell the paper that the Nintendo announcement was a surprise to them because "it seems to have little basis in science." Here is more from a doctor:

"The fact you’d watch 3-D in a theater or a video game should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever," said Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, a professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Wii Fit might be good for light exercise, but it pales in comparison to the real thing, say some academics. Research data coming in at various universities shows that Wii gaming, or "active gaming" is not so good for shedding those extra pounds but works great as a physical or mental rehabilitation tool.

"Nearly all of these research studies have a similar conclusion," said Dale Wagner, a health professor at Utah State University, in an e-mail interview with The Standard-Examiner. "The interactive video games increase heart rate and energy expenditure compared to sedentary computer games. However, the increase in heart rate with these games corresponds to only light to moderate intensity."

The Entertainment Consumers Association's ECA Institute (ECAi) officially launches a new work group called Gamers for Health. The goal of the group is to help ECA members and gamers at large incorporate gaming activities into healthy lifestyles by providing resources and tools that are effective in those areas.

Launching today, this destination for healthy gaming offers a place for gamers everywhere to join the various programs that help get you fit by gaming.

Electronic Arts releases MicroBot, a new game that takes players inside the human body. The game is available on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and coming Jan. 4 on PlayStation Network ($10). The arcade-style shooter created in collaboration with Naked Sky Entertainment challenges gamers to control a microscopic ship on a mission to destroy a biotechnological infestation.

Players battle malicious enemies as they travel through the bloodstream, bones, lungs and brain. The rhythms and fluids of the human body create an environment that affects movement and gameplay, providing combat advantages and additional hazards to overcome.

In addition to a Story Mode, MicroBot features a Challenge Mode, where either one or two players can see how long they can survive the battle using just one ship configuration.

Valve has always been keen to track user data and use it to improve its games, but many may not know that the company has always been acutely aware that some of its players may have special needs in order to play many of their most popular games. Speaking to Gamasutra Mike Ambinder of Valve Software explains some of the things the company does to help players with different kinds of disabilities:

"Most of the accommodations we make for disabled gamers (closed captioning/subtitles, colorblind mode, in-game pausing in single player, easier difficulty levels, re-mappable keys/buttons, open-microphones, mouse sensitivity settings, use of both mouse and keyboard and gamepads, etc.) stem from functionality added to improve the experience of both able and disabled gamers," Ambinder tells Gamasutra.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston, Texas is taking part in a psychological study that examines the effects of virtual reality game on pain tolerance during physical and occupational therapy.

Funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and conducted by the University of Washington, the study uses a video game called SnowWorld with young burn patients to see how the game helps them during physical and occupational therapy. These two types of therapies are collectively called rehabilitative therapy, and are essential to the recovery of patients suffering burn injuries.

As burns heal, the affected areas of the body tend to tighten causing constrictions of the skin, and making mobility a challenge to patients. Therapies and exercises that address these issues are common, but also lead to discomfort. Patients often report an increase in pain levels.

A study from earlier this year may motivate parents to throw a toothbrush or two into the gift queue this year alongside those much-coveted video games. According to a necro-posting from Dentalplan.com citing an April 2010 study from the University of Iowa, a tooth brush or two in the stockings or wrapped up with a video game might be a good idea.

In case you do not recall the study from earlier this year, it found that teenagers who spent a significant amount of time playing video games were more likely to develop tooth decay because of the food and drink they consumed.

Teenagers 12 - 19 years old consumed more sugary snacks and soda while playing video games, the study found. Consuming these kinds of foods in large quantities leads to tooth decay and other dental problems if a regular dental hygiene regiment is not followed.

A new study by the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) found that those who eat at their desk are more likely to become fat. Experts were looking into how memory and attention span affect an indvidual's craving for food.

The study asked participant to eat a lunch consisting of nine different types of foods while playing a game of Solitaire on a computer. Another group was given the same kind of meal but did not play the game.

The conclusion? The group that played Solitaire while eating the meal felt less full after about half-an-hour. The people who ate and played could not remember the order in which they consumed the food either. They also ate twice as many snacks as the other group.

Researchers concluded that distractions during meals lead to people consuming more food, which makes them gain weight.

The Entertainment Consumers Association is lending its support to the Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer with a donation and support for its Holiday Card Program. The Tommy Fund Holiday Card Program urges the community to purchase Tommy Fund Note Cards hand-drawn by children treated at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. The cards costs $12 each and all the proceeds go back into supporting children fighting for their lives against various types of cancer. The ECA is urging its members to donate to the Tommy Fund either directly or by purchasing a card.

The Tommy Fund organization serves as a helping hand to the oncology section of the department of pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and the Yale Cancer Center. The organization works alongside the dedicated medical professionals in the front lines of this important fight.

A five-week "working memory" training program shows promise in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The research, which appears in the November/December 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, was conducted by Christine Hanson and Synthia Puffenberger, graduate students in psychology at Ohio State, and Steven Beck, co-author of the study and an associate professor of Psychology at the college.

Researchers found significant changes in students who completed the five-week program in several areas including attention, ADHD symptoms, planning and organization skills, initiating tasks, and working memory.

A study published online and set to appear in the pages of the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that games can be used to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Researchers are looking for new ways to combat the rise of obesity and type 2 diabetes in young people. One of the ways to combat this is an increased intake of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Researchers hypothesized going into this study that video games designed to support healthy lifestyles would have a positive effect on children who played them.

The results of a study released by the University of Calgary this week reveal that video games (exergames) may be as good as traditional physical education classes in keeping children physically fit. The research tested the effects of several video games that encourage users to jump and balance such as dance games, light walls and games that use the Wii's balance board.

After two years studying the effects of games on Calgary elementary school students, researchers found that these exergames improved balance by up to 30 percent. This was compared to conventional physical education that included traditional games like badminton. The results were comparable to a six-week Physical Education program that focused on improving agility and balance using dance, gymnastics, and obstacle courses.

Nintendo, in a bid to push its own products, highlighted a survey by the American Heart Association today. The survey found that playing "active-play" video games can lead players to real-world fitness activities. According to the survey, 58 percent of people who played active-play video games began a new fitness activity like walking, tennis, or jogging since they started playing the games. The survey also found that 68 percent of people who play active-play video games say they are more physically active since they got involved in video games. The survey was conducted Oct. 25- Nov. 1, 2010, by the American Heart Association and included a total of 2,284 male and female respondents ages 25-55.