Video Game Therapy Enters Arizona Hospitals
Local Banner facilities have partnered with Child’s Play, a non for profit organization centered around video games, dedicated to spreading the benefits of gaming to children in need. Child’s Play provides education on the benefits gaming has on improving emotional and psychological stability for children during traumatic events, and includes a guide on which types of games work best for specific symptoms across multiple consoles. Thanks to the generosity of the gaming community more and more hospitals are able to provide multiple console options to inpatient children.
Scientific studies on the benefits of video game therapy have been underway since the early 2000’s, gathering data on how gaming can help with physical therapy, anxiety, and distraction from chronic and acute pain. Active video games, like Dance Dance Revolution have been used to reduce obesity in children and increase active play. It is an incredibly useful tool to distract patients during painful procedures, and reduce the need to hold patients down during said procedures. I can help improve up a patient’s psychological adjustment to hospitalization up to 79% of the time. Distraction is a tried and true tool to help improve a patient’s stay, and nothing’s more distracting than trying to make it to the next save point.
Since then the use of video game therapy as a legitimate form of non pharmacological therapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings is becoming more widely accepted in the medical field. As a healthcare professional, I have seen firsthand how gaming has helped the sick and injured children of Arizona. It has reduced the length of time postoperative patients have to stay in the hospital by encouraging them to get out of bed and reduce the amount of pain medicine they need to be comfortable. For both children and adults alike, gaming can help change lives. So the next time you end up in the ER, don’t forget to bring your games.
Check out more information on how people are saving lives by playing video games by going to https://childsplaycharity.org/!
Worldismyne is a geek of all trades. Myne has hosted and preformed in 40 panels at conventions over 4 years. A second generation geek; she partakes in cosplay, art, writing, game design, and voice acting.
Post a Comment
