Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.
The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
It seems like just last year the idea of games for health was still a marginal one. There were DDR rigs in schools, sure, and some therapeutic uses, but it was an uphill battle. Now we have Wii Fit and the Wii Balance Board forthcoming in the West and even a pedometer for Nintendo DS.
All that in mind, this is a great year to attend the Games for Health Conference 2008, which takes place at the Baltimore Convention Center May 8-9. According to the orgainizers, the confernece will cover exergaming, medical simulation, interactive messaging, health behavior change, medical informatics, physical therapy, and game development. The conference will also feature demo rooms that will feature hands-on ability to play with various games.
Registration is $395 for the conference, with optional pre-conference workshops on May 7 running an additional $99-$129. You can register online.
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