The United States signed a groundbreaking event in the gaming industry this week. The local Food and Drug Administration has approved a video game as part of therapy for children with attention deficit disorder. Boston developers have tested it for the past seven years, with more than 600 children participating in clinical trials.
Ice kingdom, ocean floor or lava field. There is a winding path everywhere that a Boston video game player, EndeavorRX, has to take on a hovercraft. How to do it is described by game publicist and developer Ondřej Trhoň.
“Endeavor RX is such a very comic sci-fi game in which you avoid various obstacles on the race track, so you have to be very careful. And that’s perhaps interesting, what lies in its ability to function therapeutically in some way within ADHD. ”
FIRST GAME EVER Approved As MEDICINE Against ADHD
Half an hour a day
The Akili Interactive video studio in Boston is intended for children aged 8 to 12. The developers recommend playing it for half an hour a day every weekday for four weeks.
“There is a relatively large clinical study behind it, but it must also be said that the game is not recommended at the expense of other treatments for ADHD. It is more of a supportive thing, “emphasizes Trhoň. “It simply came to our notice then. We have known for some time that games affect cognition and concentration. ”
Relieve the tension and find friends
This is also confirmed by therapist Julius Bittman from the National Institute for Autism. He sees the main benefit in the possibility of ventilating emotions. “A child with ADHD is forced to cope with a number of stressful situations at school in the morning. Hand in hand with this, we observe significant fatigue in children with ADHD. A computer game helps them in this area. ”
School is more challenging for hyperactive children. Concentration costs them a lot of energy and they often have feelings of frustration. A video game is an ideal way for them to vent their emotions, says therapist Julius Bittman of the National Institute for Autism | photo: Photobank Pixabay
In addition, playing games makes it easier for children to get closer to each other, and their therapists in turn serve as a motivator. “Very often we use computer games in the model: When you work together on certain issues, you will have space to play computer games as a reward.”
A good servant, but a bad master
Therapists commonly use the game in their practice, but Bittman also considers the approval of the game by American officials to be a breakthrough, because the games do not have a very good reputation in society.
If you can’t disconnect from the Internet for a single day, you’ve been sucked out
“They are constantly perceived as a waste of free time. Parents or even some experts look at it as a completely useless activity that does not bring anything positive to the child, “he explains.
“Games are associated with prejudices, myths and mistakes. Once it is recognized as an official therapeutic method, playing computer games as a whole gets a touch of legality and confirmation that it is not just nonsense. ”
To fight fear and trauma
On the contrary – games can obviously help, says game publicist Ondřej Trhoň. According to him, the potential use of games in fighting various fears and phobias is also very interesting.
For example, virtual reality and exposure therapies are used to combat fear of heights or spiders, but also in the therapy of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Regardless of whether the therapist uses games or not, it is advantageous for him, according to Julius Bittman, to orient himself in them. This makes it easy to find common ground with children.
