In a world where video games are being blamed for what seems like every single murder ever (like Grand Theft Auto), it's nice to see a study that actually focuses on the positives of games. According to a new test performed at the University of Maryland, video games are actually very beneficial to children who are sick or need to go through an intensive hospital procedure.

"Game Boys have a hypnotic effect on kids," echoes David Chastain, principal engineer at the Boston-based design consultancy Continuum. "We thought, why not use this effect so young patients can remove themselves from the environment of a hospital when they're being sedated for a procedure?"
The test took a handful of children and had them place their hands in a glass of ice water, a common way to test someone's pain tolerance. When repeated with a video game in the other hand, the children were able to keep their arm inside the glass at least 400% longer, meaning that video games actually help to ease the pain.

There are actually some hospitals that pipe medicine like anesthesia through a headset, to which a Game Boy is also connected. This way, a young child is not as anxious or tramatized when going through an invasive hospital procedure.

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Report Published by: Mark Raby