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”

Thank you

Contact: Toru Fujimototfuji@anotherway.jphttp://antherway.jp/seriousgamesjapan/