Video Game Fights Cancer

Many have come to the conclusion that video games are a waste of time, and should only be used for the sole purpose of entertainment. But to young cancer patients, video games are turning out to be a positive use of time, as it actually helps them gain the ability to fight their illness. The non-profit organization HopeLab has created a game called "Re-mission" which can help kids fight their diseases mentally and physically, according to LiveScience.

This game features a 20-level journey through the bodies of fictional patients suffering from different types of cancer. The game was created for the purpose of helping cancer patients gain a sense of control over their disease. But of course with all video games, anyone can play it, including healthy people and adults.

In the game, players control an animated figure of a nano-sized robot named Roxxi who blasts cancer cells and battles bacterial infections. Besides blasting the cancer cells, gamers also have to manage the serious side effects that come from cancer.

So far, the game has helped young cancer patients overcome their difficulties in positive ways. According to CIGNA, the company that distributes the game, studies of the patients that played the game reveal that they had a greater chance of taking their medicine, to undergo treatment, and to have a better understanding of their disease.

Recent video footage released by CIGNA show positive proof that the technique really works. To 17-year-old leukemia survivor Dan Neumann, he says that "It taught me what I was going through and let me be more involved in my recovery."

To Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, who wrote the 2005 editorial in the British Medical Journal, video games have a bad reputation for being addictive and negative activities that cause inactivity and very much become a waste of time. But to cancer patients, they are a blessing and can be used in distracting patients of all ages from the symptoms of their diseases and the side effects of treatments.

Besides being used to treat cancer patients, Griffith said video games can also be used for pain management. The idea is that video games can also be used in the opposite effect; instead of focusing all energy on mentally and physically overcoming cancer, video games can also be used to focus attention away from painful sensations. This other technique has also proven useful to children undergoing chemotherapy, as studies showed that children who played video games had less nausea after treatment and needed fewer medications to manage the nausea.

Another positive use for video games can also be incorporated into physiotherapy and occupational therapy. There, it can be used to increase hand strength, and to develop social and spatial skills for children with learning disabilities.

Andrea Thompson. "Video Game Fights Cancer." Live Science. http://www.livescience.com/health/070611_cancer_videogame.html