Video games can improve employee health

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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., July 2 (UPI) -- Employers are using health wellness video games to promote health and save employers direct and indirect healthcare costs, U.S. researchers say.

Bill Ferguson, editor-in-chief of Games for Health Journal wrote in an editorial that wellness programs using health games could have a significant impact on human well-being and the costs, pain and suffering of preventable illnesses and conditions.

Video gaming can help engage people in their own health, supplement traditional forms of exercise, promote healthy living and improve patient care, Ferguson said.

"The most successful wellness programs incorporate video games that present themselves as in the service of the player," Ferguson said in a statement. "These activities enable individuals to engage in things they have personally desired, but were unable to prioritize and accomplish before wellness games. The result is healthier, happier, and more productive employees -- a win-win for employers and their people"