News - Health & Fitness Games

The Exergame Network (TEN) recently unveiled the results of its first survey of fitness video games using its new Exergaming Experience Rating System. Developed through twelve months of collaborative study with a panel of world renowned exergaming experts, the rating system scores games on exercise, game play and interface, as well as seven other attributes.

“With so many different games available on the market, a rating system for exergames like the EERS by TEN, is a welcome tool for healthcare practitioners trying to help their patients make the most appropriate choices for their families,” said TEN contributor Dr. Ernie Medina of MedPlay Technologies LLC. More...

News - Health & Fitness Games

Virtual reality games are showing promise as a tool to combat pain. A research project is studying the analgesic effects of virtual reality environments and how they impact the way patients’ brains respond to pain.

“Virtual reality produces a modulating effect that is endogenous, so the analgesic influence is not simply a result of distraction but may also impact how the brain responds to painful stimuli,” explains Dr. Jeffrey I. Gold, associate professor of anaesthesiology and paediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. “The focus is drawn to the game not the pain or the medical procedure, while the virtual reality experience engages visual and other senses.” More...

News - Health & Fitness Games

Researchers at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University in Montreal, QC, and the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, ON, have developed an interactive virtual reality training program to boost patients' confidence and increase the success of stroke rehabilitation.

"Relearning and improving movements affected by brain injuries is an intense process that requires hard work and motivation," said Dr. Michael Hill of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, a funding partner of the program’s clinical trials. "Research into how to best engage and motivate patients is vital for stroke recovery." More...

News - Health & Fitness Games

Researchers from the School of Computing and Information Engineering at the University of Ulster have launched the Games for Rehabilitation project which focuses on video games for the rehabilitation of upper limbs in patients recovering from strokes.

The research project looks at players using their hands and arms to touch targets which move around a screen, tracking their movements with a webcam. Responding to this interaction, the games provide positive feedback on the patients' performance with the system. Designed to be accessible to inexperienced videogame players, the games will also include some the best practices of the medium to be as engaging as possible. More...

News - Health & Fitness Games

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) patients will soon have a new tool available to them to help them improve their ability to focus. Entitled Play Attention, the system includes gaming software and a helmet loaded with electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors that interpret the player’s brain waves. Only used in laboratory settings until now the system is being introduced across the UK in January 2010 by Games for Life.

The system has a child playing a fun educational computer game and wearing the EEG helmet. Picking up the child’s brain activity waves related to attention, the game is played without physical controls. As long as the player concentrates they control the game, but drops in attention will make the game stop. More...