Nutrition Games

Introduction

Nutrition is an important component of public health in developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries of the world. Given the huge range of global nutrition problems to solve, and the slow progress of their resolution thus far, game strategies are increasingly being looked to, even by previous skeptics, as a bright ray of hope. This has not been an easy task, as quality research is slow, and innovative game PhDs have only recently begun to understand the lure of serious games and how game dynamics affect behavior.

As research results emerge, it is clear that nutrition games really need to be given a full chance to prove their worth, and health professionals need to be educated about their benefits. A professional team approach to creating serious games on a wide range of multifaceted nutrition topics is vital. People around the world then need to learn of their availability and how to access nutrition games on various platforms.

Chapter objectives include:

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  Discuss need for nutrition games

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  Review nutrition game history

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  Highlight nutrition game research

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  Where to find nutrition games

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  Identify professional development team members

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  Recommended nutrition game development standards

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  Specify nutrition game resources

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  Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for nutrition games