Engineers, artists and 3D designers at the University of Utah have pooled their resources in order to help develop PE Interactive, a therapeutic video game aimed at children diagnosed with cancer.
Because one's personal outlook and mentality play such an important (if unquantifiable) role in besting cancer, PE Interactive hopes to raise the spirits and optimism of children living with the disease over the course of its five-hour campaign. Players step into the shoes of Vance B. Strong, a young boy charged with defending a seaside town from robotic crabs. By lifting the children up to the status of superhero, the placebo effect does its magic and speeds the recovery up. But because we can't rely exclusively on a shaky scientific principle, the motion-controlled game encourages the kids to get up and move, helping preserve their physical and mental constitution.
With so little to do in a drab, sterile hospital, it's genuinely exciting to see developers make games that not only entertain and distract, but also heal.
Patient Empowering Video Games
PE Interactive Hopes to Strengthen the Resolve of Cancer Victims
Trend Themes
1. Therapeutic Video Games - The trend of developing video games with therapeutic benefits for patients, such as raising spirits and optimism in children with cancer.
2. Motion-controlled Games - The trend of using motion-controlled technology in video games to encourage physical movement and preserve patients' physical and mental well-being.
3. Gamification of Healthcare - The trend of integrating gamification elements into healthcare to entertain, distract, and potentially heal patients.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - Opportunity for the healthcare industry to incorporate therapeutic video games into patient treatment plans, particularly for children with cancer.
2. Gaming - Opportunity for the gaming industry to develop motion-controlled games with therapeutic benefits for patients, such as supporting physical and mental well-being.
3. Technology - Opportunity for the technology industry to innovate and create new solutions for integrating gamification into healthcare, improving patient experiences and outcomes.