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Child Obesity - Who's To Blame?
As
a
clinical associate professor and preventive care doctor, I’ve worked with overweight and obese
adults and kids for the past 12 years. Whenever I read about the
problem of pediatric obesity in my journals (or even local newspaper)
or hear about it in my conferences, video games are always listed
as one of the main reasons contributing to this growing epidemic.
You may not agree, but the general perception in the healthcare
field is that video games are part of the problem.
The
rate of obesity over the past 30 years has more than doubled for
kids ages 2 to 5 and 12 to 19, and more than tripled for kids ages
6 to 11. Last month at a recent pediatric obesity conference, a
speaker made the sobering statement: “This is the first generation
of kids who are more likely to die before their parents due to obesity
and it’s related diseases.”
In
response to this epidemic, Congress and the Institute of Medicine
recently put out a report stating that we will have to mount an
assault on pediatric obesity like we did against the tobacco industry.
They also recommended that kids limit their TV and video game playing
to less than two hours a day.
Is
that what you, as someone who makes their living in the electronic
entertainment industry, want to hear? Being compared to the tobacco
industry and told to limit use of your product? Not exactly what
companies like Sony, EA, EB Games, and Konami want to hear.
And
yet, when I’ve gone to E3 over the past few years or when I’ve
e-mailed and written letters to various companies to try and increase
their awareness to how their industry is being maligned in the healthcare
industry, I get no response.
That’s
too bad, because I believe that the very technology that is being
blamed for the pediatric obesity epidemic is also the very technology
that can eradicate it!
Not
only that, but I believe that the company or companies who wake
up and seize the opportunity to address this will be able to reach
a target niche that is being told to play less video games. Beyond
that, you will have a sales force like no other – made up of
doctors, nurses, exercise and fitness trainers - promoting your
games and hardware! Talk about influential sales reps to a captive
and compliant audience.
The Advantages Of Exertainment
At
the last CES in Las Vegas, you may have visited a tent outside the
main hall called the “Cardio Zone”. This was a collection
of games and hardware where to play the game, you had to move your
whole body to play. This is also known as the “human joystick”
or “exertainment”.
The
most popular game to represent this genre is Dance Dance Revolution
(DDR). Other notables are the EyeToy, Powergrid (the first
to provide an isometric workout), and the Cateye Bike (a stationary
bike attached to a game console where pedaling and steering controls
a racing game).
ResponDesign
is a company that has made a virtual trainer called Yourself!Fitness (which
premiered at E3 last year) that can be played on the PS2, Xbox,
and the PC. Virtual workout avatar Maya provides over 500 types of exercises, all interactive,
catering to your fitness level and ability. If you tell Maya you’re
working out too hard, she will slow the exercise down. Try telling
Billy Blanks to slow down his videotaped Tae Bo workout. Maya also provides
some nutritional instruction as well, with menus available on its
website (www.yourselffitness.com).
Studies
are now being done that will validate what we already know: these
types of games can overcome the obstacles we face trying to get
kids to be more physically active. Once we get this quantifiable
data, maybe the healthcare industry will view video games more seriously
as an intervention.
Why
do I believe exertainment games can do the impossible and get obese
kids to be more physically active? Because they're more fun, these
kids are usually very good at video games already, and aren’t
usually the type to join the soccer team given that they are usually
ostracized or self-conscious when it comes to traditional sports.
Think
of all the new game console attachments that could be developed
to play games in a new way while getting a workout. What about if
someone made games that tied in nutrition education as well? Instead
of destroying asteroids, they could destroy or dodge junk food and
grab healthy foods. What is being done for edutainment can also
be done for exertainment.
Can The Game Industry Help?
These
children are our future teachers, policeman, doctors, social workers,
and computer programmers. But who will do these occupations if they
are getting fatter, sicker, and dying sooner? Who will support you
and I as we get into our retirement years?
I’m
not saying you should stop making the usual games; what I’m
saying is that if this multi-billion dollar industry woke up and
devoted some resources to providing a solution to this problem,
you could be the ones credited with saving our future. Wouldn’t
that be nicer than being blamed for its demise?
It
boils down to this win-win situation: save lives, get great PR,
and make a lot of money in the process. No matter what your position
in this industry, find a way to get exertainment on the agenda and
make something happen. Don’t wait for Company Z to do it first;
be a leader in this charge to literally save the world!
The
warning has been sounded - this worldwide epidemic has just begun
and will go on for decades impacting several generations of kids.
I hope this industry will not miss the golden opportunity to stop
this obesity juggernaut in its tracks before it’s too late.
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