The "medicinal" use of video games is growing, according to the Associated Press.
The AP details research done by Carmen Russoniello of East Carolina University, who is attempting to measure whether sickle cell anemia patients can manage pain and stress by playing video games. Russoniello tod the AP:
Ten years ago, they would have laughed me out of that place. But there's an acceptance of things. (Video games) aren't panaceas but they have their place and we need to find where that place is.... The kicker was the EEG; we found brain waves that were consistent with improved mood. That gets people's attention. They can't say anymore, 'That's nice, but how do you know?
Gail Nichols, 48, who suffers from severe depression, said she has been self-medicating with video games for years:
If I get stressed out, my service dog is there with me. I'll pull (the game) out of her pack and between her being there with me and sitting there playing the game I won't be so nervous about people around me. I would hope the medical community will add this to their bag of tricks.
GP: Children's hospitals have long recognized the value of video games in making their young patients more comfortable. Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity and the Get Well Gamers Foundation have supported such efforts for years.
Comments
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
I'm all for freedom of ttnet vitamin speech and allowing rent a car game makers to put whatever they want in games, but there's one thing about this app that has me scratching my head. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from araç kiralama the previous article araba kiralama on this I gathered that players can use Google maps in-game to find the other (real-life?) dealers in their area. If this is the case, has travesti anyone considered what's stopping someone from using this app to actually move drugs between hands for reals?
But majority araba kiralama of their outrage araç kiralama stems from what it could DO TO children, not the content itself. Talk to one of these people and you'll find they don't think any books kiralık araba should be banned from children. Mention American Psycho and they talk about kiralık araç the redeeming value of using imagination to construct a story. Reading, no matter what the content, is largely viewed as a consequenceless activity for people of any age. The reason why I mention American Psycho is because of the content itself. Gaming never has and likely never will have any scenes where someone has sex with a severed head. Not gonna happen. Yet despite this, they'll fight tooth and nail to protect their children from two boys kissing in Bully but whatever they read is harmless... yeah.
The entire arguement is kiralık oto based upon a social normality inflicted by luddites who can't figure out the controls for Halo so it's frightening and terrifying and obviously the cause of youth violence on the rise even though, in reality, it's in decline (which is actually a HUGE suprise given minibüs kiralama the economies status). In a perfect world, we would have parents that actually parent. The idea of sales restrictions on media on oto kiralama any form to accomidate parental unwillingness to get involved with their child's life is the real problem to me. Here I am, 32 years old, and being held up at a self-scan rent a car needing to show ID before I can buy a $10 M rated game all because Soccer Momthra can't be bothered to look at the crap Billy Genericallystupidson does in his free time. It's too hard for her, so I have to suffer?
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
See Morons like JT only see games as evil... whilst they have benefits to social but now medicinal reasons as well, Pokemon as one guy said cured him of his depression... Penny Arcade are champions for video games for sick children, heck there's one at Alder Hey the children's hospital.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Video games are indeed useful. My current use has been training myself to do what autistic people normally don't do, make eye contact. I believe that by using the game Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion that I can train myself to feel comfortable looking someone in the eyes. So far I have acheived a minor success in that when I was in a store today I was able to keep my head up instead of looking at the floor like I normally would. I believe that over time I will be able to maintain eye contact during a conversation as good as a normal person could.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Give JT Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourny and see if that'll help him :P *chortle*
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
It's been mentioned several times. As far as anyone can tell, he hasn't tried it yet.
E. Zachary Knight
www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/okceca
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1325674091
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
A shame. He could learn a fashion tip or two from Edgy.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Back in college I did a presentation as video games as therapy, I was surprised how much info was out there for research if you only look. One standout example was a game used to comfort burn victims while they underwent painful daily treatments. I just read an article about surgeons training with games. Doctors and patients both benefit from video games!
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
And here's the proof everyone's been waiting for...videogames do affect young children. We have to ban these games now, before they corrupt our sickly children even further!
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
HAHA! Take that Jack! You SUCK!!!
-Entertainment isn't the reason the world sucks. It's the reason we know the world sucks. For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007)Grand Theft Childhood, by Harvard researchers Larry Kutner&Cheryl Olson
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Seconded, bro.
I wanna see how JT will react to this story.
I AM A LOST SOUL, CONDEMNED TO HAUNT THE DREAMS OF JOHN BRUCE "JACK" THOMPSON UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS. SOMEONE, PLEASE! END MY SUFFERING!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I AM DOOMED TO HAUNT JACK THOMPSON'S DREAMS UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Oh come on everyone knows injured people make lousy murderers.
And people with chronic depression have never murdered anyon...
Oh my god what did I just say?
Now Jack Thompson has a whole new reason to chase ambulances.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
dont you get it by now =p this report is just further proof of how deep the video game business conspiracy runs!!
you wanted jacky boys response there ya go
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
All things considered, this shouldn't surprise us. For those who know of Dr. Hunter 'Patch' Adams will know of the success he's had with improving the quality of life for his patients with laughter, humor and fun.
The simple fact is when you are miserable and have no way to release that then it will just build and build. However, if you have something like a game to play that gives you a bit of an uplift, then it helps relieve the stress that had been bogging you down.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Videogame" Reviews on the best, worst, and controversial issues of Videogames. gryphonosiris.blogspot.com/
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
This is why I'm going into Ludology.
Games present a lot of new possibilities in a number of fields: epidemiology, sociology, psychology, pediatrics, medicine, so on and so forth. But the best part is what gaming can do for kids like the one in the picture. Child's Play and the GWGF do something that 10 years ago would have been laughed out of the room, and now it's helping millions of sick kids.
Black Vatican Comic. Updating 7 days a week! www.blackvatican.com
DrPeril.com
"Any sufficiently advanced [but easily implemented] technology is indistinguishable from magic."
~ Arthur C. Clarke
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
You can tell someone has a serious mental condition (not trying to sund condescending but that's the most bland name I could come up with) when they refer to their game cartridges as 'she' and 'her'. A level of obsession usually reserved for ships and sailors. Whatever works for him I suppose.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Hes talking about his service dog, not his games.
Whoops
*re-reads sentence*
oh yeah you're right... err I must've read over the part where he identified his dog. I feel really foolish right now.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
Pokemon cured my depression. True story.
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
So, things that are fun, make people feel better?
/takes notes
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
The sad thing is that some people actually do need this kind of proof before they'll believe that statement.
-Gray17
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
"Laughter is the best medicine."
Re: Report: Games as Medicine on the Rise
In France, there is also Michael Stora's work. He wrote a book about it, "Guérir par le virtuel" ("healing with virtual reality") in 2005.
You can have a brief description here : http://www.bief.org/?fuseaction=C.Titre&Tid=27540&language=A