Toying with trauma

A soldier in a Humvee scoots across the desert, warily eyeing the vast, empty plain. A fire appears on the horizon, driving smoke high into the sky.

A soldier in a Humvee scoots across the desert, warily eyeing the vast, empty plain. A fire appears on the horizon, driving smoke high into the sky. There is a rumbling noise, then the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire from Iraqi insurgents. Suddenly, the soldier flinches and the scene disappears8212;quieted by a keystroke. Game over.

For all the entertainment that video games like 8220;Virtual Iraq8221; provide, their technology also holds promise for vanquishing some real world enemies8212;such as in this case post-traumatic stress disorder. Riding a monster wave of advances in game technology, a raucous alliance of researchers, medical professionals, game developers and artists are collaborating on an array of health-related video game projects. The games are based on the premise8212;supported by research8212;that most people, including elderly stroke victims and mentally challenged kids, have a unique capacity to work harder when confronted with an engaging game.

Some of the games in development are designed to improve cognitive functioning in the aging brain; boost motor skills in stroke victims; focus the attention of brain-injured kids or those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Other games use interactive scenarios to walk nurses, trauma physicians and medics through real-life situations; educate children and adults on diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, leukemia and HIV; and help kids relax before surgery.

Although few, if any, of these games will ever be available at the neighbourhood store, they hold enough therapeutic promise to attract support from such diverse institutions as the US Army and Navy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Some of the most promising developments are in these areas:

Mental health: CyberLearning Technology8217;s S.M.A.R.T. BrainGames system is designed to improve the focus of kids with ADHD. The system includes headgear with NASA technology originally developed for pilots. The gear provides neurological feedback so that kids learn to control elements of a car race or jumping game simply by concentrating.

Physical therapy: An interdisciplinary team of researchers at USC is developing interactive games employing such items as special goggles, hi-tech mitts, pinching devices and a stylus that can be worn or grasped to add the sense of touch to the 3-D experience. A stroke victim, for example, might hold a stylus in his or her hand and move it through the air. Completing the game requires the same hand motions that the patient might do in conventional physical therapy.

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Public health: The University of Illinois at Chicago is developing an online disaster simulation game for the Chicago Department of Public Health to train public health workers and allied health and service workers how to handle an aerosol anthrax attack.