Imagine a companion who is able to constantly motivate you, actively encourages you and changes your bad habits into healthy ones. A companion who is always present and who tries to aid you and offer advice or intervention when needed. Therapists and doctors strive to achieve this, but quite often, it isn't a realistic goal.
Challenging youth obesity
Obesity among youngsters has been an urgent health issue, troubling many countries. Research indicates that by the end of 2025, at least one out of five people of the total world population will cope with a form of obesity. Needless to say that this makes obesity a serious problem. Furthermore, experts stated obese children have at least an 50% chance of lingering their weight well into adolescence, which in turn holds the possibility to develop into diabetes, high-blood pressure, gout, and cardiovascular diseases. This makes obesity one of the prevalent problems of our time.
Gaming therapy
The virtual pet Yellow Riders has developed, is a virtual representation of the child and to be looked after on a smartphone or tablet. The game's objective is to keep the virtual pet satisfied and healthy by taking good care of it, and thus indirectly taken good care of yourself. By playing mini games, the focus of this app lies not on emphasizing good vs. wrong food choices, but rather on balancing proportions. Furthermore, the app stimulates the child to exercise more instead of just focussing on sports. As the CEO of Yellow Riders Stephan Aarts stated, "In our philosophy, exercise is not a sport and sports are not necessarily exercise."
Proven concept
The motivation stimuli used in the app are based on current obesity therapies in the Netherlands. The mini-games complement an existing therapy, increasing motivation that will lead to a behavioural change during the weight loss program. In collaboration with Yellow Riders, behaviour experts at the Radboud University in Nijmegen (the Netherlands), discovered that after a ±6-month period of treatment, the child’s behaviour has changed unconsciously, increasing the child’s prospect of retaining this new and healthier lifestyle. The app is currently in its testing phase at Rijnstate Hospital.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.yellowriders.com/#!nobesitas/z8vwl
About Yellow Riders
Game accelerator Yellow Riders is a young, innovative foundation established in the Netherlands. By means of consultancy and project management, Yellow Riders manage the development of Serious Games, visually attractive due to the company’s “Dutch Design”, for the healthcare industry. Games can make an important contribution to healthcare and the organisation's goal is to develop games which change behaviour in a fun way. For more information, please visit the international website; www.yellowriders.com.