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Liz Kelly
Professor Probst Martin
ENGLISH 1102
6 December 2016
New Form of Therapy
Video games have been an ever growing and expanding industry since the first game,
Pong, was released in 1958. They have been transformed to fit into arcades, amusement rides,
casinos, classrooms and obviously for personal entertainment consoles but how about therapy?
Many games already contain qualities within them that can be utilized for therapeutic purposes
within hospitals. Some can help with physical movement, others with cognitive functions, or just
boosting moral of patients. Game consoles such as virtual reality supporting systems, Wii and
Nintendos are all prime examples of what can be used to obtain therapeutic benefits in hospitals.
It is for these reasons that video games should be brought into hospitals to serve as a form of
therapy for patients.
One of the most obvious benefits of bringing videogames to hospitals are that they boost
the morale of patients. People left in hospitals for long periods of time while struggling with their
illness often leads to increased depressive symptoms. Three graduated students of the School of
Nursing in Hong Kong; William Li. Joyce Chung and Eva Ho, conducted an experiment to see
how well virtual reality computer games affected children with cancer. Children aged 8-16 were
split into two groups, one underwent their usual treatments and the other received 30 minutes of
gameplay after their treatment. It was concluded that, using virtual reality computer games, in
minimizing anxiety and reducing depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese children

hospitalized with cancer. (2139) was effective due to the lower scores recorded than the children
who did not get to play. Another study performed by graduates of the School of Occupational
Therapy, in Taiwan, also supported that games proved to increase motivation and stated, This
increase in motivation is important because active participation in rehabilitation programs
increases the benefits and effectiveness. (Chen 680). Benefits found to be more effective than
traditional training because the patients found it more enjoyable.
Although they can boost morale, therapy regarding cancer patients may be limited. Other
than improving mental wellness in Li, Chung, and Hos experiment many other symptoms
displayed by the children were not dramatically different in either the control or experimental
group. Anxiety was significantly high in both groups, also, The results were consistent with a
previous study showing that children experienced different degrees of sadness, unhappiness and
worry. (2139). After a week had passed the children began to have decreased anxiety in both
groups (2139) while it seemed the only significant difference was in the experimental group with
their levels of happiness regarding the games.
Along with improving moods, games can also promote social interaction and exercise.
Being stuck in hospitals for long periods of time as a child can have substantial drawbacks,
Children who are critically ill are frequently viewed as too sick to tolerate physical activity.
Thus, these children often fail to develop strength or cardiovascular endurance as compared to
typically developing children. (Salem 273). Two faculty members of physical therapy at Cairo
University, Yasser Salem and Ahmed Elokda, found that games could resolve the physical
activity problem with sick children. When incorporating games into their schedule it was found
that, Research on the effects of virtual reality gaming systems for children with disabilities has
reported positive effects on exibility, range of motion, functional strength, balance, walking,

cardiovascular endurance, and gross motor development. (274). With all these benefits,
children, could regain some physical health through a fun, interactive experience.
Although certain games can be used to increase the amount of physical movement
achieved by ill patients, precaution is still advised when dealing with critically ill children.
Despite the promise for virtual reality technologies in rehabilitation, there is lack of information
regarding its use in children who are critically ill. (274) children suffering from severe illnesses
should not have physical stress be put on them, whether that be from extraneous movement or
exercises. The use of games for activity purposes must be limited to only those that can handle it,
otherwise it would have adverse effects on the body rather than improving cardiovascular
endurance.
Another benefit of videogames in hospitals are that they promote a more fun alternative
to traditional therapy and therefore have a faster response rate. When tested with stroke victims
by a group of administration, from the Department of Physical Therapy in Korea, they
discovered, Virtual reality based rehabilitation showed improvements similar to those of
conventional physical therapy and occupational therapy but greater than with recreational
therapy, such as playing cards. (Lee 1555). From the experiment, it can be taken that VR was
just as effective because it made the patients want to participate more in that form of therapy.
Participant 1 stated, This training (game mode) felt like just play for me, so it is more fun than
the cycle ergometer. . .It (cycle ergometer) is so boring and hard for me. (1560). Many other
participants responded with similar remarks about the game therapy and had increased
enjoyment levels (Lee 1561).
Regardless of VR being enjoyable for some, not every patient will respond the same way
to game therapy and may prefer the more traditional route. During the same study as mentioned

earlier, it was found that, Two participants said that the workout mode of training seemed to be
more effective, so they preferred it (Lee 1560) although the game form may have worked better
for others some found the traditional form more beneficial for them. Also another factor is the
severity of the stroke that the patients went through, which would affect their difficulty, pain, and
enjoyment scores throughout the study.
Lastly, along with therapeutic benefits, games can also improve cognitive functions for
bedridden patients staying in hospitals for prolonged periods of time. When patients are stuck in
their rooms with nothing to do their cognitive performance begins to drop dramatically (Brem
891). After just one week of playing a brain training game, for 30 minutes daily, participants,
fluid IQ increased significantly from 99 to 106 (medians). The same was true for working
memory capacity, as well as for rate of information processing. (Brem 895). Several members
of the Department of Computer Science, and Psychology, also stated, Virtual Reality (VR) has
more recently been proposed as an effective alternative to traditional behavioral and cognitive
rehabilitation as it can integrate, with high exibility, motor and cognitive training in a daily life
scenario (Mainetti 98). Games have been found to aid in physical, as well as mental, functions
of patients and were also concluded in this study that they, would benefit by retaining or even
improving their mental fitness during hospitalization, and afterwards the exercises would enable
them to cope more easily with the difficulties of everyday life. (Brem 897). Not only would
playing videogames help inside hospitals but can also be easily obtainable after patients have
gone home and wish to continue playing either for therapy purposes or enjoyment.
Even though some games may improve mental functions, some patients may have higher
functions than others and may not see the same levels of improvements as others might. Or some
might be the opposite and have inherently lower mental abilities and find that the games are too

difficult and unenjoyable. The conductors of this study reported that, Patients who are less
mentally active need extra motivation, which could be provided by the feedback of the achieved
profits. (Brem 897). While patients, with an already active mind and high mental performance,
which correlates with crystallized IQ, will be able to use VGs by themselves after initial
motivation. (Brem 897). Basically, motivation is what will need to be reassured for patients,
with either very high or low mental activity, to want to participate in cognitive therapy such as
videogames.
In conclusion, videogames have been incorporated into so many aspects of entertainment
and education combined. They have many cognitive, social and therapeutic benefits. They
encourage patients to get active, socialize, and participate in therapy more regularly. All while
providing an entertaining environment for them. Many studies have been conducted on all the
benefits games provide for patients as well as its diversity of uses to accommodate each illness
individually. It is for these reasons that videogames should be used in hospitals as a form of
therapy for its patients.

Works Cited
Brem, Matthias H., et al. "Stop Of Loss Of Cognitive Performance During Rehabilitation After
Total Hip Arthroplasty--Prospective Controlled Study." Journal Of Rehabilitation
Research & Development 47.9 (2010): 891-898. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov.
2016.
Li, William HC, Joyce OK Chung, and Eva KY Ho. "The Effectiveness Of Therapeutic Play,
Using Virtual Reality Computer Games, In Promoting The Psychological Well-Being Of
Children Hospitalized With Cancer." Journal Of Clinical Nursing 20.15/16 (2011): 21352143. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
Mainetti, R., et al. "Duckneglect: Video-Games Based Neglect Rehabilitation." Technology &
Health Care 21.2 (2013): 97-111.Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Mei-Hsiang, Chen, et al. "A Controlled Pilot Trial Of Two Commercial Video Games For
Rehabilitation Of Arm Function After Stroke."Clinical Rehabilitation 29.7 (2015): 674682. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Minyoung, Lee, et al. "A Further Step To Develop Patient-Friendly Implementation Strategies
For Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation In Patients With Acute Stroke." Physical
Therapy 96.10 (2016): 1554-1564. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 10
Oct. 2016.

Salem, Yasser, and Ahmed Elokda. "Use Of Virtual Reality Gaming Systems For Children Who
Are Critically Ill." Journal Of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine 7.3 (2014): 273276.Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.