Forget the P90... Can Facebook Games Make You Healthier?
Spreading health awareness isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but one start-up based in Boston, MA is trying to change just that with their Facebook game. MeYouHealth recently launched their Daily Challenge game where simple healthy steps are gamified, which is the process of introducing game mechanics into websites. What’s interesting here is some of the steps are purely for awareness “We believe these conversations –and the networks in which they occur– help people adopt and sustain healthy behaviors” said Trapper Markelz, Head of Product “By integrating with Facebook, we see an opportunity to create more intimate, trusted social sub-networks where meaningful and influential conversations can take place.” Markelz references MIT research and the pressures of social networks but what’s at the core of their products is quite simple: getting people to think about health.
Daily Challenge is a only the beginning of health-minded games and MeYouHealth hopes to release more. So far responses have been positive with over 24,000 Facebook fans and growing “The future of health is not gaming…” instead, Markelz argues, its encouraging people to want to be healthy and be aware of their daily decisions “…there is no shortage of health products backed with really amazing strong science…yet they sit underutilized.”
The Daily Challenge asks simple questions to engage the user like asking them to check if there is SPF 15 or higher in lip balm or drink more water. Badges can be reached for levels completed as well as points for answering correctly. The goal is to heighten awareness of health, while making it fun and shareable on the web. With more horrible food exposures like this one currently hot on the circuit, people should start thinking about taking better care of their bodies. Might as well make it fun.
