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Video game rehabilitation


Video game rehabilitation, also known as gaming rehabilitation is a process of using common video game consoles and methodology to target and improve physical and mental weaknesses through therapeutic processes. Platforms that feature motion control, notably the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft's Xbox Kinect, and Sony's Eye Toy, and virtual reality scenarios have all been effective in this field of research. Methodologies have been applied to all age groups, ranging from toddler to elderly aged people worldwide and have been used in a variety of cases ranging from stroke rehabilitation, cerebral palsy and other neurological impairments, to people with tendinitis and multiple sclerosis. Researchers have promoted such technology based on the personalization of gaming systems to patients which allows for further engagement and interaction. Additionally, gaming consoles have the ability to capture real-time data and provide instant feedback to the patients using the systems. Currently, several researchers have performed case studies to demonstrate the benefits of this technology, however, repeat trials and experiments have shown that outcomes are easily replicated among several groups worldwide. Additionally, the outcomes have increased interest in the field, growing experiments beyond simple case studies to experiments with larger participant basis.

The use of virtual feedback has been seen scattered throughout history for quite some time. However, though the feedback was virtual, the performances were not widely virtual until the 1990s. With the early-stage experimentation, not many positive results were found causing some doubt of the systems. Some even found that too much virtual feedback increased poor performance outside of the controlled environment. As virtual reality systems and virtual environments became more accessible and affordable, though, so too did the implementations of and research on them. The use of these systems in positive motor skill development began somewhere in the late 1990s as more researchers realized the benefit of internal, corrective feedback in such environments. Additionally, at the same time, researchers across the world began experimenting with the effect of virtual reality in therapeutic measures for anxiety disorder and phobias. With positive results, such as better motor control and lower anxiety in relation to phobias, coming from these experiments, researchers began looking into virtual reality systems as a form of rehabilitation in the early 2000s, and the research has expanded since. Now, common gaming consoles such as the Wii and Kinect allow researchers to use cheaper, more readily available systems in their labs, as well, opening up new possibilities for games and rehabilitation options. Case studies and use of systems in actual therapy offices have suggested that this field has the potential to impact therapy outside the lab setting, as well, making it a rapidly growing field of interest. Currently, several reviews of the findings have also suggested positive effects of this form of rehabilitation, garnering support for this field as well.


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