Recap of the White House's Games for Healthcare Summit

By Bill Sabram, Lead Game Designer

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the White House (yes, the real deal) to sit down with innovative- and creative-thinkers at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to discuss healthcare and gaming.

Now, I’ve had some pretty terrific experiences since joining MeYou Health. Like speaking at last year’s Games for Health Conference and being invited to Amsterdam to speak at Games for Health Europe. Going to the White House tops it all. 

The summit was structured like this: a) identifying current trends in games, b) an idea storm, c) mapping opportunities and d) discussing the potential federal role as these ideas go forward. It was a lively discussion.

What a gathering it was! The room was filled to capacity with 25 participants from games (MIT, Microsoft Kinect, Schell Games) government (NIH, ONC, HHS), research (USC, IFTF, Pew), and healthcare (Yale University School of Medicine, CDC, Kaiser) among others. Our three hosts were Wil Yu, Director, Innovations at Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and Senior Advisor CMS Innovation Center, who wants to change how people perceive healthcare; Lygeia Ricciardi, Senior Policy Advisor for Consumer e-Health HHS / ONC, who is a big supporter of improved patient and consumer engagement; and Constance Squire, White House Office of Science and Technology, who wants to coordinate “too much screen time” into action and liberate healthcare data.

The sunshine, blue skies and warmth of this 60-degree midwinter day in Washington D.C. matched the bright, optimistic atmosphere in the room. I was honored to be a part of it.

Here are some key takeaways from the summit --

• Games are returning to their roots. Internet connected games + apps are becoming increasingly “casual” + “social” as new technologies (especially mobile technologies) connect us with people we care about in an increasingly social world wide web. Our well-being will improve as social networks are transformed into support networks.
• Degrees in game design programs around the world are legitimizing the role of the game designer and providing opportunities for people to solve the world’s problems with games.
• A good computer game adapts to the player: it is personal, incremental and rewarding. Our healthcare system should also do these things. Lead with the fun and healthy outcomes will follow.
• Don’t overlook low-to-“no tech” game solutions. You don’t need giant budgets and the latest technology to harness the power and potential of games for behavior change.
• Game consoles and smart phones can link us to our health care providers. Today’s consoles and phones are powerful, affordable and easy to use.
• Since fun takes many forms and means different things to different people, it must be carefully applied. But it cannot be overlooked. The betterment of healthcare requires that we consciously craft tools with these qualities: wonder, joy, surprise and delight. Fun will not bloom and grow on its own.
• The actions of a player in a good game mirror the actions that we need in the healthcare space. You are your own agent of change. Games can motivate people to take charge of their health and well-being.

Before joining MeYou Health, I was the president of my neighborhood association for eight years. I used to joke that even the President of the United States gets a break after two terms :) I believe in the power of strong neighborhoods and neighbors working together to improve their collective well-being. Taking my commitment to communities to the federal government and contributing to this exciting dialogue about games for health is something that I will never forget.

This four-hour meeting held in the Truman Room was expertly facilitated, complete with an illustrator capturing our contributions as beautiful 3’ x 5’ posters. It was an honor to serve in this manner and I’m optimistic about the good that games can generate for all Americans.