We all know video games are fun, but can they actually improve our lives beyond their value as entertainment? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes so, and is spending $1.85 million in grant money to help nine research teams study how video games can help make people healthier. The nine research teams were chosen from 185 proposals, and will receive between $100,000 and $300,000 each to conduct one- to two-year studies. Some of the plans include studying how DDR might help Parkinson’s patients increase stability, and how Wii Active could be used in high schools to help students lose weight. Two more groups will test to see if a mobile phone game with a “breath interface” can help smokers reduce their tobacco use, and if a video game featuring facial recognition can help autistic children learn to identify the emotions of other people. You can find out more information about the project at the foundation’s website.
Would Wii Sports, Tennis be an active sport???
May they succeed in their efforts. I would love to be able to say "I'm a gamer." and have people think of that as a positive thing.
what a waste of money. sounds good but a waste
Mr.SmashterMeister, their probably putting to much money towards this so they will suceed.
i'm with adan
this is great
waste of money. use it to pay off the trillon dollar debt we have growing
How are they spending that money?????
About time.Late, but about time.
Late how?
For a while, all I've hearing about the negative perspective of gaming, but with this research, hopefully will put people who don't know anything about this increasingly growing industry in their place.
Somehow I doubt it'll work.
I'd rather they did an extensive study on the lady in the picture.
Whats so special about her? She's already thin. How about a fat lady DDR, and use WiiFit Plus?
At least tax dollars weren't spent.
I wouldn't write this study as a "waste of money" quite yet.
i am fed up of ppl telling me games are a waste of time !!
so for a change if it can really help ppl then i delighted
Good to hear, but I'm disappointed that the project scope appears to be limiting itself to that of physical health, addiction to substance, etc.
What about mental and emotional health? Couldn't games be used in studies to see if they improve the general quality of one's life? People diagnosed with depression could be exposed to games to see if it helps relieve symptoms, or Wiis could be given to busy households to help families find a reason to spend a little bit of time together.
Not to complain, but it's just disappointing to open a tab about the positive effects of video games, only to find it's yet another study about "can video games really help us lose weight?" as if it's hurdle to believe that indeed they could. One of the most fundamental, obvious, and positive things that video games have to offer is being overlooked here, in my honest opinion.
Lauren makes some good points.
This is way better then the government trying to say that video games are more dangerous than Drugs for teenagers.