Why government health departments are spending millions on mobile gaming

Today sees the release of The Walk, an iOS and Android game backed by the UK's Department of Health. It's the second release in a collection of apps funded as part of the UK's Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). The first -- StepJockey, an app that lets you map, locate, rate and log the calorific expenditure of staircases around your city -- came out on Monday. All five apps in the program encourage you to move more, or change negative habits. Can an app improve your life? At the very least, we're guessing the Department of Health -- having just spent £2 million on this round of investment -- thinks so. This is part of a growing trend, that could see government agencies in the UK taking a leaf out of Silicon Valley's book when it comes to solving (health) problems. Read past the break to find out why it's putting so much money on third-party digital initiatives.