at the University of Utah
2016 Games4Health Challenge winners announced
Games4Health at the Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation in The University of Utah David Eccles School of Business celebrate the achievements of student teams that competed in this year’s challenge.
On March 31, Games4Health hosted a public Arcade that showcased nearly two dozen of the 70 innovative games designed and developed by students. That evening, a Gala honored all the winners and welcomed Michael Fergusson, CEO of Ayogo, as he discussed the positive impact digital games can have on health and wellness.
This year’s competition focused on five challenges including corporate wellness, happy fitness, clinical health, chronic diseases, and adolescent mental well-being. A total of 121 teams and 300 students from across the world came together to create innovative gaming solutions that impact health through successful behavioral change. Competitive teams came from 18 states, 71 universities and 12 countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, Portugal, South Korea, and others. Games4Health represents a global effort to deliver health through consumer technologies of our day.
The $5,000 first place winners for this year’s five challenges are:
| Happy Fitness ChallengeSponsored by SocialWellth | OnTrack | Carengie Mellon University |
| Corporate Wellness Challenge
Sponsored by MetLife |
Renaissance Astronaut | University of Utah
Arizona State University |
| Clinical Health Challenge
Sponsored by GE Healthcare |
MediGarden | University of Utah |
| Chronic Disease Challenge
Sponsored by Regence – Utah |
Carb Commander | University of Utah |
| Adolescent Mental Wellbeing
Sponsored by iThirve |
ShapeQuest | University of Amsterdam |
The 14 other second place ($2,500), third place ($1,000), and ‘best of’ ($1,000) winners came from Abertay University, Bradley University, Brigham Young University, University of New Brunswick, University of Texas Health Science Center, University of Utah and Washington State University.
Games4Health was made possible this year by generous title sponsors SocialWellth and MetLife and challenge sponsors iThrive, Regence – Utah, and GE Healthcare. Their support and shared vision have brought the Games4Health community together to make a lasting impact in the lives of students.
Keynote by Michael Fergusson
During the Games4Health Gala, Michael Fergusson, CEO of Ayogo Health Inc., offered his experience and wisdom from a career of gamifying patient engagement. He highlighted the counterintuitive nature of today’s healthcare delivery and the unique ability for games to drive natural behavioral change and achieve improved health. More details on winners and a recording of the Gala with Michael Fergusson’s keynote address can be found at g4h.business.utah.edu.
