Study Finds Video Games Good for Treating Phobias

Dyre Straits · Oct 17, 2003, 06:46 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Scared silly of spiders? Horrified by heights? Terrorized by tight spaces? Play a video game -- doctor's orders.

Regular, off-the-shelf computer video games are an effective method of treating people's fears, using a style of therapy that exposes people to what scares them in a controlled setting, according to a new study released on Friday.

The study, published in the October issue of the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior, was conducted at the Universite du Quebec en Outaouais in Quebec, Canada.

The researchers found that PC games that allow users to construct and change game environments, used with a headset that lets wearers simulate virtual reality, were just as effective at stimulating phobic responses as dedicated simulation machines that can cost four times as much.

Article here

Source: Yahoo! News/Reuters

konvict · Oct 17, 2003, 07:14 PM

I'm scared of aliens taking over the world. Can't wait for HalfLife2, lol

~~craig588~~ · Oct 17, 2003, 07:18 PM

I saw this on Nova like a year ago. They were doing testing with virutal worlds that people would put on the VR helmates and then they would encounter their problems.

**MIG-31** · Oct 17, 2003, 07:18 PM

i will be taking that advice.need to play a game or 2 but i have no phobias.

BWX · Oct 18, 2003, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by craig588
I saw this on Nova like a year ago. They were doing testing with virutal worlds that people would put on the VR helmates and then they would encounter their problems.

Yeah, and remember how horrible the graphics were? I saw it too and wondered why they didn't just use a Q3 engine with a fast GPU and put some nice AA and Textures in there for 100x the realism. It's a no-brainer.

Judas · Oct 18, 2003, 11:52 AM

i remember playing Duke Nukem 3D 4 player multiplayer in VR mode.... and that was a LONG TIME AGO... and it was sweet compared....

Oct 17, 2003, 06:46 PM	#1
Dyre Straits HH Old Fuddy Duddy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 14,205 Rep Power: 216 System Specs	Study Finds Video Games Good for Treating Phobias LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Scared silly of spiders? Horrified by heights? Terrorized by tight spaces? Play a video game -- doctor's orders. Regular, off-the-shelf computer video games are an effective method of treating people's fears, using a style of therapy that exposes people to what scares them in a controlled setting, according to a new study released on Friday. The study, published in the October issue of the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior, was conducted at the Universite du Quebec en Outaouais in Quebec, Canada. The researchers found that PC games that allow users to construct and change game environments, used with a headset that lets wearers simulate virtual reality, were just as effective at stimulating phobic responses as dedicated simulation machines that can cost four times as much. Article here Source: Yahoo! News/Reuters

Oct 17, 2003, 07:18 PM	#4
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 56,854 Rep Power: 471 System Specs	i will be taking that advice.need to play a game or 2 but i have no phobias. __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here

Oct 17, 2003, 07:14 PM	#2
konvict DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Behind Bars Posts: 57 Rep Power: 0	I'm scared of aliens taking over the world. Can't wait for HalfLife2, lol

Oct 17, 2003, 07:18 PM	#3
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	I saw this on Nova like a year ago. They were doing testing with virutal worlds that people would put on the VR helmates and then they would encounter their problems.