Flow-Controlled Urinal Games Promote Prostate Health
It started with advertisements in front of men's urinals, since there was always a captive audience. Now, technology has taken it further downstream.
If the goal of a minor league team is to find creative ways to sell tickets, one team may have knocked it out of the park. The team’s stadium is set to become the first sports venue in the world to feature the revolutionary "Urinal Gaming System.”
It’s a video game that is controlled by your urine stream. It’s a hands-free game that allows you to steer through a map or some other interactive platform like a quiz while controlling movement by aiming into a pair of holes inside the urinal.
The urinal game system is being installed in Coca-Cola Park, the home of Lehigh Valley’s Iron Pigs minor league baseball team in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They aim to use it as a way to bring awareness to prostate health. British company Captive Media is partnering with a local hospital system to promote men's prostate health at minor league baseball's most-frequented stadium.
First, you make your trip to the men’s room during the game. Unlike your previous visits, there’s a video screen above the urinal. The console senses that you are there, and activates the game. Go ahead and aim your stream at different places in the urinal to test your agility and knowledge.
The game is finished when you are. Users of the "p-games” actually receive a score and a code to enter upon completion of their 'game.' To ‘tap’ into the competitive nature of male sports fans, high scores will then be displayed in real-time across video board displays in the ballpark to see how all the men stack up against one another. There are a variety of games, including an alpine skiing competition in which users speed through snowy hills on a snowmobile dodging penguins. Here’s to hoping that there’s one where you’re a firefighter trying to put out a burning building.
The Iron Pigs are a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies and plan to feature a rotate games throughout the season. This interactive game has attracted national attention from media outlets such as USA Today and ESPN. Where else can you go that allows you to compete while you're peeing?
The idea is to have men play the game, and hopefully see the importance of talking to their physicians about their urological health. What might seem like a crazy game may lead to more interest in prostate and urinary health.
"Baseball fans know all about RBI (runs batted in), ERA (earned run average) and OBP (on base percentage),” says LVHN urologist Angelo Baccala Jr., MD, with Lehigh Valley Urology Specialty Care. "But when it comes to their own PSA (prostate specific antigen, a prostate test), many men don’t have a clue. We see this game as a fun and unique opportunity to remind men about the importance of prostate health.”
"These games are sure to make a huge splash," Iron Pigs General Manager Kurt Landes told MLB.com. Urine for a good time.
Maintaining prostate health and avoiding prostate problem symptoms can be as simple as eating right and getting adequate exercise. Start by avoiding the common culprits: junk food, alcohol, and tobacco. Keep a low-fat, high-fiber diet and get regular physical activity. Routine checkups can help you detect problems even before they produce symptoms. While there’s no surefire way to prevent enlarged prostate problems, you have the means to keep them at bay.
Prostate problems may take many years to become bigger problems. In most cases, these symptoms may point to an enlarged prostate, but they may also be a sign that other, more serious conditions that require prompt attention. If you are experiencing these early symptoms, it is a good time to see your doctor.
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