Is Nintendo better for your health than the government?

Michael Dalhweid — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:10:00 GMT

Is Nintendo better for your health than the government? The evidence is starting to mount up. Gizmodo has already reported that a $99 Nintendo Wii balance board can outperform specialist rehabilitation equipment for stroke victims that costs almost $18,000.

There's more to this than simply comparing consumer electronics with specialist medical equipment. Nintendo is actually starting to behave like your personal trainer, a government health department (or perhaps a concerned relative). Back in 2006, the company had to respond to gamers at a convention suffering the aches and pains of a day bashing virtual tennis balls. Their response? "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more."

The implication here is that the message doesn't need to be gentle to be effective. It just depends on who's delivering it. It's healthcare in the age of influence, where a gaming platform that sells millions of units worldwide has the potential to improve overall well-being as well as any government-sponsored program.

It's also interesting that the lessons of mass-market video games are starting to feedback to the healthcare industry. Here's a great example from Science Daily, where teenagers with hemiplegic cerebral palsy are using custom-made video games to improve hand function and and forearm bone health.

Again, it's important to stress that while popular gaming platforms may contribute to overall cardio-vascular health, you need the expertise of a research organization - in this case The Rutgers University Tele-Rehabilitation Institute - to address specific medical conditions.

In short, gaming works because it's fun, it's social and it's competitive. It might not be as effective as persuading the population to go out running three days a week, but in terms of overall participation it's likely to be far more effective. Governments, insurance and healthcare professionals need to use this knowledge to nudge people into healthier behaviour.

The next generation of video games endorsed by the Chief Medical Officer, tax-deductable or available on prescription? It's not as crazy as it sounds.

Michael Dahlweid : Gaming

Is Nintendo better for your health than the government?