Last time we looked at corporate research sponsored by PopCap Games, they were examining family habits related to gaming. This time they are looking at benefits casual games have for players with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), turning once again to Information Solutions Group for the survey work.
Kids with ADHD playing casual games (for which the kind PopCap is famous) benefitted from an increased sense of control, a boost in self esteem, improved memory, and improved focus.
Some 13,000 casual gamers were surveyed; about 2,700 reported they or their child had a disability; 422 of these were children, with half suffering from ADHD. More details on the survey are available from the companies’ press release.
Here’s an article from Wink News regarding the work of James Sendelbach in using videogames and neurofeedback with ADHD patients:
In one game, called “glider,” the goal is to keep an eagle on a video screen flying up in the air. As Brody [an ADHD patient] concentrates, the bird flies higher. But if Brody talks to someone, or looks away and loses focus, the eagle starts to drift down.
Over the course of nine months, Brody’s behavior and his grades are better. And he no longer needs medication. “I would never use the word cured,” his mom says, “Does he exhibit the symptoms of ADHD in the continuum that he would be tagged ADHD? No. He’s just better.”
As Dr. Sendelbach explains, “Medication can change it on a temporary basis. What neurofeedback does is change it on a permanent basis.”
