David Twitty of the Associated Press writes of an increase in interest and research surrounding the use of videogames for medicinal purposes. Twitty brings up the following points:
- The National Institute of Health has joined research efforts. Carmen Russoniello over at East Carolina University is studying the use of videogames as therapy for sickle cell anemia at a clinical center run by the NIH
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced a $2 million grant program earmarked for Wii-hab research
- The annual Games for Health conference saw a continued spike in attendance this year, including reps from Humana, Cigna, and Kaiser Permanente who have all backed medical games lately
- HopeLab’s ReMission has been a particular success story, helping young cancer patients understand and deal with the disease
- A survey by PopCap games found a fifth of those surveyed considered themselves disabled somehow, and that casual games helped treat the disability, particularly depression and other mental disorders
References:
Twitty, D. (2008, July 15). Medicinal use of video games growing. Associated Press. [Online]. Retrieved July 16, 2008 from http://www.kansascity.com/382/story/705991.html
