Gaming & Tech

Forget morphine, try gaming
By staff writers December 28, 2007 05:05pm

GAMES may be more effective than drugs for treating chronic pain sufferers, says a professor studying the therapeutic benefits of virtual reality technology.

Diane Gromala of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver said patients who suffered from chronic pain reported being more comfortable while playing virtual reality games than their counterparts on traditional anti-pain medication.

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"Controlling pain through computerised VR and biofeedback meditation therapies has the promise of providing successful, cost-effective alternatives to pain medications," she told the CanWest news agency.

Traditionally, patients suffering from chronic pain have been treated with a mixture of physical therapy, counselling and potentially addictive anti-pain medications.

Professor Gromala believes immersive environments such as virtual reality games could allow patients to improve their health and reduce their pain, especially while waiting for other forms of treatment.

"There is a real demand for this kind of therapy. As Canada's baby-boomers enter old age, pain management looms as a huge public-health issue," she said.

Games have been gaining increasing acceptance as a form of therapy this year, with reports the Nintendo Wii has been used in rehabilitation centres and nursing homes.

The Wii console uses a remote that senses body movements – such as swinging your arm from side to side – and translates the action into game commands.

The console has been used as an exercise activity for elderly residents and patients recovering from stroke in the US and Australia – despite some initial resistance to the idea.

"I haven't bowled in years. I was a little bit nervous, but when they demonstrated it, I was fine. You had to give your arm a good swing," one resident told the US National Post after trying Wii Bowling.

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