Health Insurers Develop Video Games to Educate and Engage Consumers

Health Insurers Develop Video Games to Educate and Engage Consumers: "Video games aren't just for fun, say some health plans: They can also teach you healthy habits. Both Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Humana Inc. said in recent weeks that they are launching video games focused on such topics as obesity and diabetes. Humana is in the early stages of developing a series of video games entitled Games for Health, and Kaiser is distributing an obesity-focused game online (accessible at www.kp.org/amazingfooddetective) and at schools to children. The two insurers join a movement toward using educational yet entertaining methods to inform and engage consumers about their health. The efforts are referred to in some circles as 'medutainment,' meaning entertainment designed primarily to convey medical information. The format involves everything from computer and video games, to movies and television shows."