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presented at Games for Health conference 2008 by Toru Fujimoto
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Games for Health Japan
Toru Fujimoto Serious Games Japan / Penn State University
OutlineSerious Games Japan UpdatesGames for Health projects in Japan – Game prescription project– Rehabilitainment games– SG Lab’s project
Nintendo DS & Wii Games for HealthSome implications– Factors of success & failure in DS market
Serious Games in JapanSerious Games Japan community (since May, 2004)Two books on serious games released in 2007• Serious Games: Transforming Education and
Society through Digital Games (by Toru Fujimoto)
• Don’t Bother Me Mom, I’m Learning! (by Mark Prensky, translation)
A Report on Serious Games
Research report: the current status of Serious Games 2008 (by Digital Contents Association of Japan, funded by Japan Machinery Association)Researchers and developers were involved in the projectIntroduced current games for health efforts in Japan to Japanese audiences
Games for Health projects in Japan
“Game Prescription” projectJoint research project by Waseda Univ, Namco, and New technology foundationFour research topics– Psycho-physiological effects of
videogames– Evaluation of videogame interaction – Effects of playing videogames on
children with developmental disorder
– Evaluation of literacy learning system using multi-layer display for developmental dyslexia
“Game Prescription” projectThe study indicated – Videogame-play may causes psycho-
physiological effects– The type and degree of the effect
varies according to the player’s preference and the type of the game
– The more skilled and concentrated, the more effects actively
A DS title “99 tears” will be released in June– Digital novel to “weep and heal”
with a personality test to choose right stories
Games for RehabilitationNamco’s “rehabilitainment” games• Research indicated an
improvement effect by using games for rehabilitation
• Used at 122 hospitals and nursing-care facilities
• “Making rehabilitation fun”
Doki-Doki Snake BeaterDeveloped a new whack-a-mole type game to train lower-body functionsTrain iliopsoas muscles to prevent falling
SG LabSubsidiary of Square Enix & Gakken – focuses on advergames and mini
serious games Produced a flash-based content for the Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health of Tokyo metropolitan government– Video instruction and mini-games to
learn to prevent children from dangers in household
http://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.jp/kodomo/index.html
Nintendo DS & Wii Games
Overall DS software sales in JapanRank Title Publisher Sales1 New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo 5,009,6732 Dr. Kawashima’s More Brain Training (Brain Age 2) Nintendo 4,751,5693 Animal Crossing DS Nintendo 4,574,4264 Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Brain Age) Nintendo 3,715,8115 Pokemon Diamond Pokemon 2,939,4056 Mario Kart DS Nintendo 2,827,7167 Pokemon Pearl Pokemon 2,433,003
8 Eigozuke (English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills!) Nintendo 2,167,493
9 Big Brain Academy Nintendo 1,630,869
10 Otonano Joshikiryoku Training DS (Common Sense Training DS) Nintendo 1,561,842
Source: Media Create (as of 12/2007)
Brain Training GamesBrain Age (Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training) series (DS) has sold over 17.1M copies worldwide *
*Source: Nintendo (as of 10/2007)
New market emerged810 titles released (Dec. 2004 – Dec. 2007)220 titles (27.2 %) are learning/practical/non-game titles (including 61 (7.5%) titles of brain training and healthcare-related)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
2004-4Q 2005-1Q 2005-2Q 2005-3Q 2005-4Q 2006-1Q 2006-2Q 2006-3Q 2006-4Q 2007-1Q 2007-2Q 2007-3Q 2007-4Q
2004 2005 2006 2007
Learning/ Practical/ non-game titles
Entertainment titles
Brain Age &Big Brain Academy released
Source: Media Create
Brain training game followers in the DS market
Nintendo’s “Touch Generations!” campaign expands the market
Language learning – Eigozuke (English Training: Have
Fun Improving Your Skills!) - over 2M copies sold
Quiz games with twaeked theme– Otona no Jo-shikiryoku Training DS
(Common sense training for adults) over 1.3M copies sold
Cooking recipes– Shaberu! DS Oryouri Navi (DS
Cooking Navigator, Nintendo) –0.9M copies sold
DS learning/non-game software
Travel guide, gardening, wine selection, household bookkeeping, stock trading, all school subjects for K-12, entrepreneurship, magic trick, guitar play, digital book, classic music, driving license test, business manner, accounting, job interview…
…and of course, healthcare-related titles
Diet & medical supportDS Calorie Navi (by IE Institute)• Instruction, quiz and minigame to be
aware of healthy foods and control diet
Kenkou Kentei (by Yudo)• Instruction and quiz how to continue
proper daily diet and exercise
Katei no Igaku (by Rocket Company)• DS version of popular home medical
directory
Beauty care support for womenOtona no DS Kao Training (face training for adults, by Nintendo)– Use DS plug-in camera to monitor your
own face while training
Yumemihada: Dream Skincare (Skincare training, by Konami)
Female Power Emergency UP! (by Namco Bandai)– Self-improvement support for young
working women, tied-in with women’s magazine
Relaxation & mental careDokodemo Yoga (Yoga training, by Konami)– Video instruction and navigation to
learn Yoga
Raku Raku Shiatsu Navi (Shiatsu acupressure navigator, Dorasu)– Video instruction and navigation to
learn acupressure
Kokorobiksu DS Therapy (Psychological test for mental health improvement, by Dimple)
Eye & hand exercise support
Flash Focus (Eye training game: by Nintendo)– Training for motion vision, hand-eye
coordination, effective vision field, vision focus with mini-games
Right Brain Training DS - Speed Reading for Adults (by Interchannel-Holon) – Speed reading training with Shichida method
Ambidexter Exercise (by cyberfront)– train ambidexterity with mini-games
Fitness supportTeku-teku Angel Pocket (Pedometer software with data manager, by Hudson)
Duke Saraie’s Walking Navi (walking exercise, by Dorasu)– Video instruction & navigation to learn
health walking
Muscle Training Navigator (by Dorasu)– Video instruction and navigation by a
famous Japanese wrestler
Fitness with Wii is becoming big…Wii Sports sold 11M worldwide (including bundle)*
Wii Fit sold 1.9M copies in Japan (as of April 2008)**
Family Trainer (Namco Bandai)Wii Fit (Nintendo)
Source: *Nintendo, ** Media Create
XaviX PORT (2005-, SSD)Interactive sports/fitness game consoleXaviX elder care programUsed at over 1000 nursing-care facilities
Ancestors of Fitness games
Family Trainer (a.k.a. Power Pad) (1986, Bandai)
…and many other arcade games
Nintendo rules the market…
580,51011/2006IE Institute
Kanji Official Examination Kanken DS (Chinese character training)9
Rank Title Publisher Release Sales
1 Dr. Kawashima’s More Brain Training (Brain Age 2) Nintendo 12/2005 4,751,569
2 Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Brain Age) Nintendo 05/2005 3,715,811
3 Eigozuke (English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills!) Nintendo 01/2006 2,167,493
4 Big Brain Academy Nintendo 06/2005 1,519,000
5 Otonano Joshikiryoku Training (Common Sense Training) Nintendo 10/2006 1,381,000
6 DS Oryo-ri Navi (Cooking Navigator) Nintendo 07/2006 815,000
7 Flash Focus (Eye Training) Nintendo 05/2007 778,679
8 Kanji Official Examination DS for 2 Million people (Chinese character training)
Rocket Company 09/2006 609,683
10 Motto Eigozuke (English Training 2: Have Fun Improving Your Skills!) Nintendo 12/2006 527,429
Source: Media Create (as of 12/2007)
Sales data shows the reality
76(4,999 or less)106,914-Average sales (within the
category)
1.1M16(99,999 - 50,000)1.2M58(49,999 - 10,000)
41(9,999 - 5,000)
8,960
20.7M23.5M90.4M
# of sales
-Median (within the category)
29(100,000 + )210Learning/ non-game title810Overall DS
# of title
Source: Media Create (as of 12/2007)
Lessons to learn from the efforts in Japan
Selling your product to the DS market is very toughFor DS consumer market, you need all of the below:– Good game– Good customer base (or sales channel)– Marketing budget
Dr. Kawashima’s concern: “There are potential liability problems in serious games market. Game companies should make a good use of researchers’help”
