Game designers, researchers to demo healthful games

Madison will play host to a conference Sept. 16-17 at the Monona Terrace on how games can improve health care. Games for Health 2004 aims to present successful projects in which games were integrated into the field. The Serious Games Initiative, the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab and the Federation of American Scientists’ Learning Federation Project are co-sponsoring the conference.

“Our goal is to boost quality development of a new generation of game-based software tools and projects that will improve the delivery, management, quality and education of health care worldwide,” said David Rejeski, director of Serious Games.

The conference is intended to be a meeting place for game developers, researchers and health professionals. Conference organizers hope it will challenge the idea of games as frivolous activities, much as Serious Games’ summit March 22-23 in California tried to do.

Speakers may include: Brenda Wiederhold (VRPhobia.com), Debra Leiberman (University of California, Santa Barbara), Doug Whatley (Breakaway Games), Paul Wessel (Guidance Interactive Healthcare), Barbara Hayes-Roth (Extempo), Barry Silverman (University of Pennsylvania), Eric Lott (Legacy Interactive), Phineas Barnes (Respondesign), David Shaffer (University of Wisconsin), Brian Winn (Michigan State University), David Rejeski (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars), Kurt Squire (University of Wisconsin), and Mary Derby (Pulluin Interactive).