Nintendo helping to create diabetes management game

At the moment 194 million people around the world are affected by diabetes. A doctor at the University of Washington is working with game developers to create an interface that reaches young people with diabetes where they are: on the phone or playing video games.

Dr. Harold Goldberg, 56, an admitted gadget geek and parent of two young adults, said the Game Cube interface is a logical next step from his work with adult diabetes patients through their desktop computers.

Goldberg and three grad students are working with six industry partners, including Nintendo and game designer Realtime Associates of El Segundo, Calif., to create a new medical interface. For example, Nintendo created a hand-free controller a few years ago that allows people with disabilities to play video games. They also put together a “fun center” that moves a Game Cube and a DVD player around hospitals on a rolling cart for patient entertainment.