Video Games Get Into Shape

It's nearly a decade now, since the first research was started into the idea of using virtual reality games as a form of pain control for burns patients, and in that time a solid body of evidence has built up, with patients reporting a 90% decrease in the pain they experienced when using the system during the game.

Researchers at Manchester are also finding that virtual environments can be very useful for treating patients suffering from "phantom limb" experiences following amputations.

Just as interesting is new work going into examining gaming's potential for treating psychological problems.

The US Department of Defense has funded three separate programmes investigating the use of virtual reality systems to help treat some of the many Iraq war veterans who return home with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Games are also already finding a role at every point along the healthcare chain - training doctors, providing treatment for patients, and strengthening preventative medical efforts.

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Submitted By:	clonedprince
News Posted:	5 months ago
Source:	BBC

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