Generations are often defined by shared challenges. In health, Baby Boomers had to confront smoking and, similarly, Millennials will have to confront obesity.
In the chart below, I’ve plotted smoking and obesity rates in the US over the last 50 years (data from CDC and NHANES). Smoking and obesity, both primary risk factors for chronic disease in the US, have virtually switched places. While smoking rates have been cut in half, obesity rates have more than doubled over the last 50 years.
I came across this great term that’s been used to describe some educational games: chocolate covered broccoli. The term refers to games that were primarily about learning, while game mechanics seemed to be layered on top as an afterthought to draw more users. In other words, developers add the not-good-for-you part (gaming), which most people like, on top of the good-for-you part (learning),