Technical assistance and direction for RWJF's Health Games Research program

The Foundation's Health Games Research program was designed to build the field and advance knowledge about the intersection of video/computer games and health and health care through a national program that emphasizes applied research and convening.The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), will direct a National Program Office (NPO) for games for health. Games for health are interactive games (available for example on computer, Web site, console, cell phone) designed to improve health and the practice of health care. There is a growing body of research focusing on the psychology, health promotion methods, communication processes, and effects of health games, and the results demonstrate that well designed interactive games can motivate health behavior change and improve health outcomes.This grant will enable the UCSB to begin and oversee the NPO's achievement of its core mission through the granting programs and also through scientific leadership involving meetings, presentations, conferences, research, publications, web content, and press interviews. Beyond these activities, the NPO will carry out four additional projects to begin during its first year: (1) a survey of video game use in the U.S.; (2) a research database; (3) a series of Research Briefs on games for health, available online and in an e-mailed newsletter; and (4) a Body Game research and development platform, which will be a web-delivered interactive simulation of the human body, both inside and outside, to use for testing health game theories and design strategies, and for creating health games inexpensively.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $388,980.00

Awarded on: 9/6/2007

Time frame: 9/1/2007 - 8/31/2008

Grant Number: 62972