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May 16th, 2008
The Archives
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05.16.08Wii Yoga, and Games for HealthThe NY Times reports on and reviews a new arm of Nintendo's hugely successful Wii product: Wii Fit. Wii Fit builds on Wii's active-play console by building an exercise regimen that is far cheaper and for many far more convenient and manageable than going to a gym. Using a small Wii balance board, users interact with an avatar who guides a person through an exercise regime or plays games such as soccer. It's worth a look at the Nintendo trailer, just to see how deeply avatars and virtual worlds are becoming embedded into mainstream products:
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05.16.08Dating Avatars: Preparing for Face-to-Face ContactThe next step in online dating appears to be virtual dating, according to the Toronto Star. Virtual daters at Omnidate create avatars from six male or female choices and then go on virtual dates in bars, at the beach or at a museum, all the while listening to favorite music. The goal is to eventually meet an avatar in the flesh, while hoping that the screening process of a virtual date, which is much more involved and telling than traditional online dating, with its e-mails, chats, and profile viewing, will lead to a more positive outcome. "It was like I already had ...
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05.16.08Virtual Therapy, Pt. 2: AddictionsTreatment for addictions has taken a new step forward as a University of Houston Associate Professor has begun to investigate using virtual worlds therapeutically. Science Daily recently reported on the story. Strapping a virtual reality helmet on his subjects, Professor Patrick Bordnick, of the UH Graduate College of Social Work, helps to create a realistic setting for addicts. In this setting - for alcohol-dependent people, a bar - the professor tracks the addicts cravings as they move through the virtual setting and are offered drinks in all-too familiar settings. Subjects have been interviewed following the session and the results have been ...
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05.16.08Video Captures Virtual Nursing Training in SLAt a recent Games for Health conference John Miller Tacoma, Washington joined a panel to talk about the use of virtual worlds for training. Joined on the panel by participants from much larger institutions (Stanford among them, if I remember) John has managed to put together a nursing curriculum in Second Life pretty much on his own, whereas the larger institutions worked with companies like Virtual Heroes to develop highly complex simulations. John's presentation at the conference in Baltimore was thoughtful. I was impressed as well with the SL work - may not be the best build in the world, but ...
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05.16.08STDs in Second Life - Public Health Education in Virtual WorldsSexually transmitted diseases have always been an embarrassing topic for most people to talk about, including teenagers. (The above photo of, um, embarassed teenagers provided by the Guardian.) But with the virtual world's reliance on privacy and with medical education and therapy picking up steam virtually, a solution to this discomfort has arrived. Health authorities in Spain launched an SL portal through which teenagers can talk anonymously to health practitioners about STDs or about conflicts regarding drugs. The portal is called isla de salud (health island) and is a collaborative venture between Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine (FYC) and the Coalition ...
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05.16.08‘Violence Interruption’ Training in SLCeaseFire, a 'violence interruption' program whose aim is to prevent the spread of violent activities, was featured recently in a cover piece in the New York Times magazine. The piece was an in-depth look at combining science and intervention to combat gang violence in Chicago, based on the premise that violence should be treated like a contagious disease - find the carriers and intervene. And the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - one of the financial backers of the program - writes on its blog that CeaseFire has set up two islands in SL to extend the training program. At the CeaseFire island, ...
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