The video game industry does not always have good press. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to classify video game disorder in illness. A change that has been in effect since last January. However, gaming can also sometimes have real therapeutic virtues. Here are 3 concrete examples of a positive use of video games in terms of health.
New Minecraft map helps spot dyslexia
It was on National Dyslexia Day yesterday that a new map was launched on the famous game Minecraft. Called Mindcraft, this initiative is the responsibility of the association Pouvoir Dys and the agency BETC, report our colleagues from BFM. This map includes 4 areas to roam filled with challenges.
As the action progresses, the players become aware of the stakes. To cite an example: finding the exit from the maze comes down to understanding the complexity of the brain of a dyslexic person. Once these various problems have been resolved, gamers can obtain a personalized assessment, as well as actions to take to better live with these written language disorders on a daily basis.
Game helps treat opioid addiction
Lynn Fiellin, a professor at Yale University, created the game PlaySmart. This title is a great way to convey information to gamers about the risks of drug use. The data collected also allows researchers to build awareness and prevention programs on these themes.
Concretely, participants aged 16 to 19 are placed in daily life situations with a series of choices. They can then go back in time and make certain variations to better measure the consequences of their actions. The results are positive, and players are much more aware of the effect of opioids after their games.
A prescription video game to treat attention disorders
EndeavorRX is probably not the best known video game. However, it has been approved by the FDA, the American organization which authorizes the marketing of new drugs, which recognizes its benefits for treating ADHD (Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity). Concretely, children from 8 to 12 years old can therefore use this electronic medicine.
This title consists of an obstacle course during which you have to capture aliens. Clinical trials have been particularly conclusive. Thus, a third of the children treated showed no more problems after having played this game for four weeks at the rate of 25 minutes a day, over a period of five days a week.
