Childhood illnesses can be difficult to handle for both parents and children. Here are a few ways researchers and software developers have teamed up to make things a little bit easier . . . and a little more fun.
Re-mission is a video game that educates adolescent cancer patients about their disease. Players pilot the character Roxxi, a nanobot, through bodies of fictional cancer patients, destroying cancer cells, battling bacterial infections, and managing cancer- and treatment-related side effects.
A 2008 study in Pediatrics1 showed that kids undergoing cancer therapy who played the game
- followed their treatment plan more closely,
- possessed considerably greater knowledge of their disease,
- and demonstrated greater self-sufficiency throughout treatment than children who did not play Re-Mission.
Bayer Healthcare recently teamed up with Nintendo to produce Didget, a glucose-monitoring game that rewards children with “points” for monitoring their blood glucose levels and keeping the levels within a personalized target range. The kids can then use their earned points to unlock new game levels and buy items in the game.
Read more about pioneering research in gaming and child healthcare.
1 Kato, P., Cole, S., Bradlyn, A., & Pollock, B. (2008). A Video Game Improves Behavioral Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: A Randomized Trial PEDIATRICS, 122 (2) DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-3134





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