Video Games that are Healthy and Fun for Your Children

There are video games where your child has to steal cars to win. Some video games give your child points for killing people. Some parents wonder if there are any fun video games that are good for their child to play. There are video games out there that are fun for children but also could be healthy for them.

Have you heard about a video game that helps you fight cancer? Cigna is using products developed by HopeLab to help children with cancer improve their health. Cigna is offering copies of this computer video game for free for children with cancer. It also is giving copies to doctors and facilities that treat children with cancer. This computer video game is called Re-mission™.

You get to lead Roxxi who destroys malignant cancer cells using weapons such as the chemo blaster, the radiation gun and the anti-biotic rocket. The wonderful thing about this game is that the creators talked to doctors to make sure the medical terms are accurate. Why is this important? It familiarizes the players with the medical terminology that they may hear when it comes to their own treatment. Knowledge is power.

This game is designed to be fun and educational. You can see a demo of the game at www.re-mission.net and you can download a copy there also. This site offers bonus material and inside tips. Children can take an active part in their fight against Cancer.

Preliminary research has found that children who played Re-Mission had an increased quality of life and cancer related knowledge. Plus they had higher blood levels of chemotherapy and antibiotics than those in the control group. Re-Mission players stuck to their cancer therapy regimens, which helps them in their cancer fight.

Can video games improve your child's focus, concentration and memory? This one can. The folks over at Smart BrainGames have developed neurofeedback technology that has been tested by NASA.

The game measures brainwave activity, analyzes it and uses that information in the game. Imagine a runner in a race. If the player is focused the runner will run faster than his opponents. Once the player's mind starts to wander, the runner will slow down. The player needs to focus to win the race.

Children with ADHD who played the game have shown significant improvement on most main ADHD measures. Neurofeedback has long been used as a treatment for children with ADHD. This game makes this a fun and positive experience for both parents and children.

Are you going in for surgery? You might want to consider giving your surgeon a Wii to play with first.

According to Web Pro News Kanav Kahol and Marshall Smith of the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona had eight surgical trainees play the Wii for an hour before performing virtual surgery. Those doctors performed 48% higher than those that did not.

Now they are developing Wii software that mimics surgical procedures. This could be used to train surgeons in less developed countries who can't afford the traditional virtual reality training. Let's just hope Milton Bradley has no input otherwise surgeons might start looking for the wish bone in their patient's chest.

With fun video games that can help you beat cancer, ADHD and even make you a better surgeon, what's next?

Researchers at Media Lab Europe are working on MindGames, games to help you relax and remain calm. With projects titled Collective Calm, Peace Composed and Relax to Win Media Labs hopes to help humanity become more constructive.

The video game possibilities are endless. You don't have to allow you child to play mindless and violent video games. Video games are being developed to help shape your child into a better human being. If only they could create one that will get your child to clean their room.

Re-Mission

Cigna Hope Lab

Media Lab Europe

Web Pro News