By the power of Bejeweled, you are healed! The miracle tonic that is video games has found another way to benefit society. Following last week's report that the Wii's physical gameplay could help rehabilitate burn victims, today a press release from casual gaming portal Big Fish Games has announced that casual, puzzle-oriented games can be valuable in rehabilitating the brain.
A testimony from a Big Fish player, whose husband found the casual games to be of tremendous help in recovering his mental acuities after a stroke, prompted a larger study from his care providers. Harold Snaring of Washington suffered partial paralysis and some vision loss due to the stroke, but his wife and his therapist noted a marked acceleration in the restoration of his vision through the use of Mystery Case Files, a simple hidden-object game from Big Fish. Using visual exercises for mental rehabilitation is obviously nothing new, but the simple addition of a fun factor to the process reportedly helped Harold -- and several patients thereafter -- stay motivated to stick to the treatment.
The correlation is even being studied by top men:
"Developing an effective and comprehensive treatment program for those who have had a stroke is vital in order for them to recover to their fullest possible potential," said Dr. Louis R. Caplan, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. "By engaging in activities like casual games, a recovering stroke patient is forced to participate and interact. The patient is able to take learning into his or her own hands, providing much needed self-motivation and confidence. Casual Games, such as hidden object games like Mystery Case Files, are also a great way to engage the whole family in the healing process and keep them connected. These games allow patients to use sensory, motor and cognitive abilities in a self-rewarding environment. The task of finding a hidden object within these games is especially useful for patients whose stroke has caused a loss of vision. Achieving even simple tasks provides milestones for those who have lost previous skills and abilities."
Pretty encouraging stuff, no? Big Fish has also released the results of its own informal survey, suggesting that casual games can cause a reduction in "unhealthy habits," such as smoking, snacking, and watching TV. Well, that seems obvious; if you're playing a game, you don't have time for the other stuff. I don't know that America will agree that spending several hours playing online games is a whole lot better for you than watching TV; you're still more or less sitting on your ass, staring at a screen. Kudos to Big Fish on the brain thing, though, that seriously is pretty good news.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I just stumbled on your blog...if this is true its fantastic, coz i play casual games. Like Norton on my computer is saying "Norton 360 is protecting you" i can dress t-shirt "casual games are protecting me!"