GamesHub für Health/Life ScienceCreative, determined and very playful at the interim presentation

31 January 2024
published by hei_INNOVATION

The event 
The event was all about “learning from each other” and was intended to bring the six teams working on different projects in the broad field of "games for the healthcare sector" into conversation with each other. In addition to pitches from the individual teams, there was a keynote by Dr. Kornelius Kammler-Sücker from the Virtual Reality Lab at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. In his presentation, he addressed the question of how virtual reality works in psychotherapy and which areas of application already exist today or could exist in the future. He also emphasized the importance of gamification as a helpful means of increasing motivation for regular interactive exercises

The third cohort of the GamesHub consists of four teams with their own start-up ideas that refine and develop their products in the GamesHub and three student teams that work with GamesHub challenge donors on projects identified in advance. The thematic portfolio of the current GamesHub is broadly diversified. The teams and challenge providers are spread across fields and disciplines such as dentistry, physiotherapy, games, virtual reality and prevention.

The start-ups 
The Fysor GmbH team is currently working on the market launch of Apelvo, a digital training application for the pelvic floor muscles. The GEmGA team is committed to communicating health prevention in a playful way. During the interim presentation, the team gave an initial insight into the further development of the hybrid Escaperoom game, which is designed to help prevent young people from using tobacco and other inhaled addictive substances. Jan Wunderlich from Team Rolf-Box presented his business idea of combining computer games with sports activity to ensure more successful training and improved health. The Zahnputzfuchs e.V. association has been working for years to teach children about the links between nutrition, lifestyle and oral health and also acts as a challenge provider for a team of students at GamesHub.

Jan Wunderlich says of the GamesHub: "I find the general atmosphere inspiring, as well as the positive feedback on my project. In the last few weeks, two expert coaching sessions in particular have been very valuable for me. In addition to contacts in the GamesHub network, I hope to gain a lot from a focus group that is currently being planned."

The student teams 
Julie Mutschler from the Education student team adds: "For me, the special thing about GamesHub is the extensive insight into the actual, practical application of serious games in various areas. Through my own project, the supporting offers and also by coming together with other teams, my own horizons were broadened and through the variety of projects and ideas, I came across topics that I would like to pursue in the future, e.g. in my Bachelor's degree."  

The "Education" student team is working on the challenge of the nursing school at St. Marienkrankenhaus in Ludwigshafen and presented their progress at the event on the development of a VR game that could be used in nursing training to teach the anatomy of human organs.  

The second student team, "Oral Hygiene", is working in the GamesHub with scientific staff and dentists from the university hospitals in Heidelberg and Frankfurt. Together, they are developing a concept for a serious game that can be integrated into an existing app to motivate patients to improve their oral hygiene and increase knowledge about periodontitis.

The team from Zahnputzfuchs e. V. and students, including from the Virtual Reality & Game Development (B.Sc.) department at SRH Heidelberg, are working together on the question of how the oral health of children and young people can be improved through a game. "The GamesHub has connected us with great health projects and institutions and enables us to work closely with the SRH team. The training offered, such as the high-quality pitch training, is extremely valuable. In addition to further exciting coaching sessions, we are looking forward to the further development of our project and are excited about the final and the results of the participating teams," explains Vera Thomé from Zahnputzfuchs e. V.

Aline Weis, the GamesHub project coordinator at hei_INNOVATION, is satisfied: "I can only say that I am really amazed at what the teams have achieved in such a short time so far. This experience has given me a lot of additional energy and motivation to provide our GamesHub participants with many more coaching opportunities in the remaining qualification phase and to network them even more broadly."

Katharina Pelka and Katy Anderlik from the Cultural and Creative Industries Department of the City of Heidelberg agree with this assessment: "We are impressed by the projects and presentations of the GamesHub teams - especially what they have developed in a short period of time with their mentors and project partners. The practical relevance of their serious games for specific preventative and therapeutic health measures as well as for education is particularly impressive. This year's projects demonstrate concrete application possibilities and impressively illustrate the great benefits and added value for patients and the healthcare system."