Video Game - Can they help?

A lot of grown-ups worry that spending too much time playing video games isn't good for a kid's health.
But some doctors have noticed that kids who bring their handheld game players to the hospital seem less worried about being there. These patients also seem to experience less pain when they are concentrating on a superhero adventure or a car race.

UltraViolet is a character who represents a superhero researcher. She was created for the Hospital-based Online Pediatric Environment (HOPE). Artwork courtesy Johns Hopkins Children's Center

At the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland, young patients are finding hospital visits easier to deal with, thanks to a test program called the Hospital-based Online Pediatric Environment (HOPE).

Patients in HOPE have a life-threatening condition where their kidneys no longer filter wastes from their blood. To get their blood cleaned, these kids must be hooked up to dialysis (pronounced dye-AL-uh-sis) machines at the hospital three times a week, for at least three hours each time.

HOPE allows kids to play online sports, racing, and adventure games with each other. Eventually they will be able to connect with kids in other hospitals who are undergoing the same procedure.

"We want to use the power of the Internet to bring together kids who feel they are isolated by their illness, and let them know they are not alone," said Arun Mathews, the doctor who heads the program. He loves video games himself and got the idea to connect kids all over the country.
Many researchers elsewhere are testing video programs that might help young patients. For example, nine-year-old Ben Duskin of San Francisco, California, who was struggling with cancer helped to design a video game where players get rid of cancer cells.

That's all great news, because doctors already know that reducing pain and worry helps patients heal faster.