Australian title SPARX is as effective as real therapy.
"When gaming appears in mass media, it’s usually as the scapegoat for some kind of crime committed by a ‘gaming addict.’ With a modern eye, we can see that some of the accusations are complete rubbish—and often leave out the positive effects of gaming." | Explosion.com
If you want a more detailed understanding of some rules or "plays" in sports then you can actually learn a lot from video games. Of course they wont make you play the game better in real life, just understand the game a little better.
I doubt it helps at all with driving or other types of games. However, if you created games specifially to teach something I bet it would work better than reading a text book.
Games are also good for kids with ADD and other attention issues. It promotes focus, concentration, task analysis, and problem solving. IMO, great for the mind.
Long viewed as a contributing factor in teenage isolation, computer games are now being used to treat adolescent depression in an innovative New Zealand programme.
Study shows gaming may be a new route to reach depressed kids.
I can relate to that not that I was depressed or anything but that I know what it's like not to be accepted by many people and to be an outcast in society.
I'm fine being an outcast because that way people leave you alone and you can judge who your real friends are much better then if your well known.
The only thing that can help someone with depression is the person who is depressed. I've been there and I came back with no help what so ever. I was never "popular" growing up and I still do have social anxiety but I got out of my depression and started my way toward a better life for me. A doctor or pills will never be able to help someone in depression, that person has to help themselves.
The thing is gaming is now popular/mainstream, so if you do game then you have a life.
Not the way a majority of us who frequent this site game lol. COD and maybe Madden are the only real games I hear people who know absolutely nothing about games talk about. Its mostly games like angry birds, fruit ninja, basically anything deemed "cool" by Apple.
The game was developed at the University of Auckland, which is in New Zealand not Australia. From what I can tell the voice actors are from New Zealand too.
Youth suicide is a big problem in NZ so hopefully this game can help reduce depression.
i suffered of depression in 2007 and i was on meds for 2 years...still feel goosebumps when i think of that time.