The Doctor Weighs In

by Pat Salber

Earlier this year, I wrote about the Food Industry Playing Games with our Children.  Now, thank heavens, HMO giant, Kaiser Permanente (KP), is countering with a food game of its own - a good food game. 

The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective was developed by KP to teach youngsters (9-10 years old) about healthy eating and exercise.  Unlike other video games that have inducements to keep kids on the site, exercising only a few fingers at a time, Incredible Adventures only allows 20 minutes of play and then locks the young'uns out, encouraging them to stop playing computer games and go outside for fresh air and exercise instead.  Once locked out, they can't get back into the site for an hour. 

While playing the game, kids learn how to read food labels, how to measure the amount of sugar in drinks and other health skills.   Now that may sound pretty dull, but the site has woven this information into adventures that engage junior food detectives (from the site):

"There has been a mysterious outbreak of unhealthy habits hitting too many boys and girls. If we don't solve these cases, and fast, kids might not make the right food and exercise choices as they grow, and that could be trouble!

All junior food detectives will get secret training on how to eat right and exercise. You can investigate fun games like Whack A Snack, Soccer, and Zap the TV. Plus you can print out classified clues on ways to be healthy, then share them with your parents, teachers, and pals."

Now, as you know, I am not 9 or 10, so I am probably not the best person to evaluate whether the site can engage kids of this age -- and teach them healthy habits to boot.  If you have kids, know kids, or can get kids on the site, write us, let us know.  Can the Incredible Adventures website trump www.Tonythetiger.com" or www.bubbletape.com?  Let me know...