Multi-player role-playing lifestyle-rewarded health game

• US 8,714,983 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Kil, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): EGLOFF, PETER RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US11/751,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,541 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/350, 434/247, 434/323, 434/362, 705/2, 705/3, 705/14.1, 705/14.12, 481/1, 481/8, 482/8, 482/1
• US Class Current: 434/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/00 ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatuses, computer media, and methods for supporting lifestyle-reward health games, in which execution is altered based on health behavior of the participant. Input data indicative of the health behavior is obtained and converted into a gaming parameter. The gaming parameter is applied to the lifestyle-reward health game in order to alter the execution of the lifestyle-reward health game. A reward parameter for the participant may be determined based on a utility function, and the reward parameter is invoked when the participant is playing the life-reward health game. Feedback to the participant may be incorporated during the execution of the lifestyle-reward health game, where the feedback is indicative of the participant'"'"'s health behavior. An avatar may be depicted during execution of the lifestyle-reward health game to illustrate a predicted health condition, in which the depiction is altered by changing the timeframe of the predicted health condition.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining sensor data from a device that measures a level of physical activity undertaken by a user of the device;

classifying, by a computer, recent exercise behavior of the user as a particular type of exercise behavior based on sensor data collected between a time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and a time when the user began playing an immersive lifestyle-reward health game;

adjusting an ability of an avatar controlled by the user to compete within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game based on tradeoff decisions made by the user between two or more competing motivations within the immersive lifestyle reward health game and based on classifying the recent exercise behavior of the user as the particular type of exercise behavior based on the sensor data collected between the time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and the time when the user began playing the immersive lifestyle reward health game;

establishing a likely motivational hierarchy for the user controlling the avatar based at least on the trade-off decisions made within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game, wherein the likely motivational hierarchy specifies a likely relative importance, to the user, of the two or more competing motivations; and

using the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user based at least on the trade-off decision made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game to tailor a real-world health incentive program for the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents less than a predetermined amount of exercise;

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises reducing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby increasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents at least a predetermined amount of exercise;

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises increasing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby decreasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a profile for the user based on game decisions made by the user while playing the lifestyle-reward health game;

selecting a reward from a plurality of available rewards based on the user profile; and

presenting the reward to the user in conjunction with the user playing the lifestyle-reward health game.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes an accelerometer, and wherein the insight is based on the movement of the user detected by the accelerometer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the insight regarding the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior characterizes the user'"'"'s exercise behavior since the user last played the lifestyle-reward health game.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein using the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user based at least on the trade-off decision made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game to tailor a real-world health incentive program for the user comprises:

estimating a utility function based on the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user, wherein the utility function indicates an estimated impact on real-world behavioral change of the user in response to a motivation from the two or more competing motivations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein estimating a utility function based on the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user further comprises:

determining an in-game performance difference exhibited by the avatar controlled by the user before and after receiving rewards as a result of the trade-off decisions made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more competing motivations comprise at least one of a financial-focused motivation and a health-focused motivation.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining sensor data from a device that measures a level of physical activity undertaken by a user of the device,

classifying recent exercise behavior of the user as a particular type of exercise behavior based on sensor data collected between a time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and a time when the user began playing an immersive lifestyle-reward health game;

adjusting an ability of an avatar controlled by the user to compete within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game based on classifying the recent exercise behavior of the user as the particular type of exercise behavior based on the sensor data collected between the time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and the time when the user began playing the immersive lifestyle reward health game;

generating a scenario within the immersive lifestyle-reward game in which the user must make a trade-off decision for the avatar;

establishing a likely motivational hierarchy for the user controlling the avatar based at least on the trade-off decision made within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game, wherein the likely motivational hierarchy specifies a likely relative importance, to the user, of two or more competing motivations; and

using the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user based at least on the trade-off decision made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game to tailor a real-world health incentive program for the user.

11. The system of claim 10,

wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents less than a predetermined amount of exercise;

and

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises reducing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby increasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

12. The system of claim 10,

wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents at least a predetermined amount of exercise;

and

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises increasing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby decreasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a profile for the user based on game decisions made by the user while playing the lifestyle-reward health game;

selecting a reward from a plurality of available rewards based on the user profile; and

presenting the reward to the user in conjunction with the user playing the lifestyle-reward health game.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the device includes an accelerometer, and wherein the insight is based on the movement of the user detected by the accelerometer.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining sensor data from a device that measures a level of physical activity undertaken by a user of the device,

classifying recent exercise behavior of the user as a particular type of exercise behavior based on sensor data collected between a time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and a time when the user began playing an immersive lifestyle-reward health game;

adjusting an ability of an avatar controlled by the user to compete within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game based on classifying the recent exercise behavior of the user as the particular type of exercise behavior based on the sensor data collected between the time when the device began measuring the level of physical activity undertaken by the user and the time when the user began playing the immersive lifestyle reward health game;

generating a scenario within the immersive lifestyle-reward game in which the user must make a trade-off decision for the avatar;

establishing a likely motivational hierarchy for the user controlling the avatar based at least on the trade-off decision made within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game, wherein the likely motivational hierarchy specifies a likely relative importance, to the user, of two or more competing motivations; and

using the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user based at least on the trade-off decision made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game to tailor a real-world health incentive program for the user.

16. The medium of claim 15,

wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents less than a predetermined amount of exercise;

and

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises reducing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby increasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

17. The medium of claim 15,

wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user'"'"'s recent exercise behavior represents at least a predetermined amount of exercise;

and

wherein altering the ability of the avatar comprises increasing the ability of the avatar relative to a default value for the ability, thereby decreasing a level of difficulty for the lifestyle-reward health game.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a profile for the user based on game decisions made by the user while playing the lifestyle-reward health game;

selecting a reward from a plurality of available rewards based on the user profile; and

presenting the reward to the user in conjunction with the user playing the lifestyle-reward health game.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein the device includes an accelerometer, and wherein the insight is based on the movement of the user detected by the accelerometer.

20. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving sensor data from a device that monitors real-life habits of a user of the device that impact the user'"'"'s health;

evaluating, by one or more computers, the received sensor data to determine that recent habits of the user, between a time when the device began monitoring the real-life habits of the user and a time when the user began playing an immersive lifestyle-reward game, would place the user at risk for a chronic medical condition;

identifying one or more symptoms of the chronic medical condition;

modifying an ability of an avatar that is controlled by the user within the game to exhibit the one or more symptoms of the chronic medical condition;

generating a scenario within the immersive lifestyle-reward game in which the user must make a trade-off decision for the avatar;

establishing a likely motivational hierarchy for the user controlling the avatar based at least on the trade-off decision made within the immersive lifestyle-reward health game, wherein the likely motivational hierarchy specifies a likely relative importance, to the user, of two or more competing motivations; and

using the likely motivational hierarchy that is established for the user based at least on the trade-off decision made for the avatar within the immersive lifestyle-reward game to tailor a real-world health incentive program for the user.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

modifying an appearance of the avatar to exhibit one or more symptoms of the chronic medical condition.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

selecting a treatment based on the chronic medical condition; and

conveying information about the treatment to the user through the game.

23. The method of claim 22,

wherein the treatment comprises a change in the real-life habits of the user;

and

wherein the method further comprises modifying the game to incentivize the user to make the change to the user'"'"'s real-life habits.