Raessens 10 Griffiths: The Therapeutic Value of Video Games

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Raessens 10Griffiths The Therapeutic Value of
Video Games
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Overview

• Games can have positive therapeutic value in many
  areas.
• Most of the studies are of specifically designed
  games, so the effects may not generalize to other
  games.
• Duh! Learning tends to be very specific. The
  problem with the article is that it doesnt do
  enough to explain why there are effects. If you
  dont do that, you cant predict when effects
  should generalize.

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Summary of Why Games Work

• Relaxing
• Set goals, goal rehearsal, feedback,
  reinforcement, record keeping shaping
• Self-analysis (e.g. self-esteem)
• Fun and stimulating
• Draw diverse audiences
• Novel challenging

• Extraordinary activities
• Measure performance
• Regress to childhood play
• Uh, organize these attributes

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Sample Applications 1

• Physiotherapy
• Use computer add-on specific to disability
• Shaping of response specific to physical need
• Distract from pain and boredom
• Available without staff person
• Cognitive Rehab
• Perceptual disorders, conceptual, attention,
  memory, language, spatial visualization
• Why and how does this work?

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Sample Applications 2

• Social skills, Impulsivity
• Calming through diversion
• Biofeedback and other feedback training
• Senior citizens mixed bag of effects
• Psychotherapy
• Expression through fantasy
• Diagnosis problem-solving, eye-hand
  coordination, coping, memory, etc.
• Other similar effects

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Workshop

• Build a taxonomy of psychological and game
  factors.
• Choose an application area and design a simple
  game module to exercise an application area of
  the user cognition.