Playing games was front and center at the 2008 Games for Health conference held at the Baltimore Convention Center, May 8-9, 2008. The fourth annual conference brought together more than 350 researchers, medical professionals, health care companies and game developers to share the latest approaches and research on how games and game technologies are making a difference in health and health care.

The conference, coordinated by Pioneer grantee Games for Health, highlighted the newest generation of health games, including those being used for health care training, disease management and health education, and demonstrated how computer and video games offer unique solutions to a variety of health and health care problems.

The 2008 Games for Health conference featured case studies, an exergaming expo, research, lectures, and panel discussions covering a wide range of topics and projects. Highlights included:

• A panel of health insurance industry representatives, including conference co-sponsor Humana, discussing their current and future health game initiatives.
• A session on how the narrative and nurturing that takes place in the cancer game Re-Mission affected the players' cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, emotions, information-seeking, and intentions to prevent and treat this disease.
• A session about the current state and future possibilities for exergaming and related body movement-controlled games to be used as part of physical rehabilitation therapy.
• A look at the new ways games are contributing to pain distraction and patient anxiety prevention in hospitals.

Experience the Games for Health Conference with Ernie Medina, Exergaming Evangelist

Ernie Medina, Jr., Dr.P.H., is the co-founder and chief executive officer of XRtainment Zone LLC, a first-of-a-kind center where folks of all ages go to enjoy the latest in exergaming. Exergaming—the use of video and computer games to get kids and adults of all ages moving—is gaining a lot of attention from medical specialists, researchers and those interested in new opportunities for physical activity.

Watch as Ernie explores the 2008 Games for Health Conference and checks out the exergaming highlights.