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Online Games Instead of Prescriptive MedsSlowly but surely online games are broadening their conquest to the medical world. That is one of the conclusions reached at the 5th Games for Health Conference, held last week in Boston, and discussed the various ways games can be played in the service of the patients' well being, from slowing down degenerative procedures to easing the pain caused by chemotherapy sessions.
More than 300 professionals from the ordinarily distant health and gaming industries attended the 5th annual Games for Health conference at Boston Hyatt Harborside to hear about the latest development in health games and predicted collaborations between online games and healthcare. A study of seniors and Wii exercise and a video game that promotes HIV prevention amongst youth were some of the presentations during the first day of the conference.
Health Game Definition
Health games are a subgenre in the ever expanding family of serious games (i.e. games played on all sorts of platforms with heavier pretensions than the normally plain lightweight time wasting entertainment). The health games themselves are divided into several categories, the most remarkable ones are the brain games, designed to improve cognitive skills (like the supposedly memory sharpening Nintendo DS brain trainer) and fitness games intended to bounce the gamers' off their couches and encourage them to exercise physical fitness (such as the best selling wii fit).
Healing Games
But these are not the only online games used in the healthcare industry. There are games such as Splash and Iceworld that simulate underwater and arctic worlds and purposed to treat patients who suffer from burns or the side effects of chemotherapy. Other virtual world simulation games have improved the well being of people with phobic disorders. Medical and gaming experts are not trying to find additional diseases or conditions that games can heal, prevent or at least relieve the pain.
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