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ARCHITECTS AND MEDICAL RESEARCHERS TEAM UP TO FIGHT TYPE II DIABETES
Designing video games for behavior change
Houston, Texas (January 23, 2006) -- Archimage, Inc., a Houston-based
architectural design studio, is creating two video games for preventing obesity
and type II diabetes in children. Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space and Escape
from Diab are sci-fi adventures in healthy eating and exercise. The project is
funded by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Archimage is collaborating
with experts at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center of Houston’s Baylor
College of Medicine on the games.
You might be asking yourself, “What are architects doing creating computer
games?” According to Tom Baranowski PhD, Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor
College of Medicine, “a lot.” Archimage president Richard Buday FAIA is the
grant’s principal investigator. He and his partner Jerald Reichstein AIA are also
executive producers of the games. The two are leading teams of researchers,
writers, computer artists, programmers, musicians, and an award winning film
director on the four-year effort. “We use our architectural skills to think through
complex problems, study and visualize alternatives and manage the process,”
Buday notes. “Then we construct game worlds that integrate Baylor’s diet and
exercise intervention technology to the immersive environments.” For Buday, it’s
a fascinating new branch of architecture, planning and design.
The rising incidence of type II diabetes has been called a “looming crisis” that is
reaching epidemic proportions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
predicts one third of Americans born after 2000 will be diabetic in their lifetime.
Unlike type I diabetes, which is a result of mostly genetic factors, type II diabetes
is primarily associated with behavior. Today’s increasing numbers of diabetic
teenagers and young children are linked to poor diet and lack of exercise. The
predicted societal and economic impact is staggering. Diabetes is already the
country’s leading cause of new blindness and kidney failure. It is also the
nation’s sixth leading cause of death.
Baylor’s Children’s Nutrition Research Center pioneered the use of behavior
interventions delivered though interactive Web sites and computer games. Says
Dr. Baranowski, “Video games’ rich immersive capabilities allow players to
participate as characters role-playing inside a story. That means players can learn
through actual experience as we deliver positive messages.”
Buday and Baranowski believe video games are a great medium to motivate
children to healthier lifestyles. But spending too much time in front of computers
and televisions is believed part of reason today’s kids are obese. For that reason,
Archimage and Baylor limit the amount of time children can play the games.
Players also must set and achieve diet and exercise goals in real life to win.
Archimage continues to design buildings and interiors, though most of it’s
current work is developing video games for health. Projects include games
played on the Web, PCs, handheld games and Nintendo’s Gamecube. The 23-
year-old visual design studio has won over 30 international awards for
everything from buildings to television commercials, computer imagery and
print graphics.
“Archimage is doing things that I never thought architects did, but I’m very glad
they do,” says Dr. Baranowski. “Buildings that keep people warm, safe and dry
are great. Architecture that keeps people healthy is even better.”
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Contact:
Richard Buday, FAIA
Archimage, Inc.
tel: 713.523.3425
email: rbuday@archimageonline.com
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CLICK IMAGES TO DOWNLOAD LARGER IMAGE FILES
Still image from NANOSWARM: INVASION FROM INNER SPACE
Still image from ESCAPE FROM DIAB
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