The Quest for the Perfect ExerGame

At this point I have to apologize for the lack of updates from the Games from Health conference. A severe network connectivity problem was an obstacle that I just could not overcome. Furthermore, a lack of sleep on my return journey coupled with jet-lag resulted in a lack of clarity of thought for several days. Having said that, I am now beginning to feel somewhat more normal now. Just one small issue – I am off to Lisbon, Portugal tomorrow morning to see if health promotion researchers have anything to say about smart applications of technology to promote positive behavior change – I will keep you posted.

Overall, I found the Games for Health conference quietly reassuring. There was not the excitement and novelty that I experienced last year, but instead a real willingness to ask questions and to seek answers. In addition, there was a real sense that whatever “ExerGaming” is and for that matter whatever “Games for Health” are, they are much bigger phenomena than they first seemed. In fact it appears that we know even less about them than was first apparent, but at least now people are beginning to ask searching questions and are beginning to undertake significant exploration. To me this would suggest a growing maturity of the field and bodes well for the future.