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Recommend The rewiring of the American brain (Email)

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"Turn On, Tune Out, Get Well? Researchers Test Video Games' Potential to Speed Kids' Healing," by Alicia Ault, Washington Post, 4 October 2005, p. F1.

Fascinating article that starts with:

How do video games affect child health? By fueling violence, shrinking attention, promoting obesity and dulling interest in academic pursuits, if their critics are to be believed. But some physicians, psychiatrists and public health experts see a more positive side: They're betting electronic games can be adapted as tools to ease medical treatments, improve patient outcomes and boost fitness and knowledge for users young and old.

Who's looking? Various research bodies within the Defense Department.

What are we talking about? Basically isometrics and bio-feedback and distraction from pain through mental immersion.

Makes sense to me, and probably to any parent of young kids who've played video games. Watching my five-year-old Jerry go full-body on his games convinces me that you simply wire the brain differently with this sort of simulation.

And as the next generation of games allows for body-motion control, games will go from obesity triggers to hard-core calisthenics. Jerry already puts so much English into his playing that within five minutes of starting, all the blankets, pillows, sheets AND mattress pad are off his bed! It's amazing to watch.

But anything that immersive can clearly be used for pain management. When daughter Emily would get ready for her chemo way back when (she fought cancer successfully as a toddler), I would settle her by face-painting a complete mask. The focus and stillness centered her, gave her an outward persona behind which to hide, and became her signature shield at Lombardi in DC. It also gave me a charity skill set I still regularly employ to this day (I have painted several thousand faces for thousands of bucks over the years).

Not surprisingly, a lot of these experiments focus on pediatric oncology patients, but the military is also interested in helping soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorders.

As I said, fascinating stuff.


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