Paralyzed Man Walks in Second Life

And happily, no one was on hand to grief it. A 41-year-old Japanese man who suffers from a progressive muscle disease that has left him almost totally paralyzed, moved his Second Life character about a virtual environment using his brain waves, reports Agence France-Presse. More »

'Why Games Matter' Competition Open For Voting

The Ashoka Changemaker's health care-related gaming competition is winding down, with 14 finalists having been selected by a panel of judges and voting now open to the public (through 7 November). Some of them aren't games per se, but there are several of those on the list, too (including an entry from Ian Bogost's Persuasive Games). Raise obesity awareness! Combat domestic violence! Chase away health troubles with ... a Bollywood inspired dance game? It takes all kinds, I guess. You can see what's up in the world of deadly serious games at the Why Games Matter: A Prescription for Improving Health and Health Care website.

Make Game, Win Money, Change Health Care

A rather lofty order for a video game, but Changemakers and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are sponsoring a competition and putting up prize money ($15,000 in total) to see who can present a game that will make an impact on health or health care - that doesn't just mean newsgames or the like with varying degrees of interesting content, but even games a la Dance Dance Revolution that (surprise!) turned out to be a novel way to get couch potatoes moving. More »