Games for Health and Health Games Research are grantees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio, which supports innovative projects that may lead to significant breakthroughs in the future of health and health care. The Pioneer Portfolio seeks ideas not only from the mainstream of health and health care, but also looks to sources outside of these fields for innovations that might have transformative impact.

As the field of games and health expands, we’re seeing that the features of computer and video games – advanced graphics, stunning realism, immersive interactivity, structured challenges – offer unique solutions to a variety of health and health care challenges. Whether it’s teens managing a chronic disease, stroke victims in physical rehabilitation, individuals looking to be more active and manage their weight, public health officials planning for potential disease outbreaks, or nurses and doctors seeking to hone their skills, game-based solutions may challenge, motivate and engage users in a way that no other medium can.

Games for Health seeks to develop a community and best practices platform for the numerous games with potential to address health and health care challenges. At its annual Games for Health conference, researchers, medical professionals, and game developers gather to share information about the impact that games and game technologies can have on health care and policy.

Health Games Research supports outstanding research to enhance the quality and impact of interactive games used to improve health. The program seeks to advance the innovation, design, and effectiveness of health games and game technologies so that they help people improve their health-related behaviors and, as a result, achieve significantly better health outcomes.

Learn more about Program Area: Pioneer Portfolio