VideoGames vs Vicodin @ Gamernode

Gamernode posts a little different take on the effect of videogames, quoting a Canadian study that shows they can be an effective method of treatment for chronic pain:

And now more from the good guys.According to a study conducted by a Simon Fraser University professor in Vancouver, Canada, videogames serve as an effective treatment for chronic pain. Diane Gromala's experiments have shown that subjects involved in immersive virtual reality settings are less likely to report pain than those subjects under medicinal pain treatment. The type of "distraction" used in this study was a 3D skiing simulation, but it is assumed that any captivating videogame experience will work in much the same way.
"There is a real demand for this kind of therapy," said Gromala. "As Canada's baby-boomers enter old age, pain management looms as a huge public-health issue."
"Controlling pain through computerized VR and biofeedback meditation therapies has the promise of providing successful, cost-effective alternatives to pain medications," she added.

More information.

That is the funniest thing I've heard today. Thanks, magerette.
Games definatly help with stress, but pain?

*Sometime soon at your local doctors office*
"Hey doc, I've got a broken leg. Can you give me something for the pain?"

"Sure, take two Witchers and call me in the morning."

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
Games definatly help with stress, but pain?

Sure! They can have a kind of narcotic effect if they suck you in enough. The brain blocks just about everything else out: pain, hunger, peeing. Haven't you ever gotten up from a long gaming session and then only realized how badly your back/arms/legs whatever were aching from sitting in the same position for so long?

I have to echo a comment made on the original site: It's only fair that games can be pain relieving since so many of them are pain-inducing.

Oh it's absolutely true. Provided the pain you are experiencing isn't in your hands, eyes/head or is brutally bad, the distraction provided by game-playing is an incredibly effective pain reliever.

It's why gaming can be so relaxing for people who have physically demanding jobs. Youl come home, achey and sore, but spend a while playing a game and you completely forget the discomfort you're feeling.
Or if you're recovering from an injury, the distraction of a game can make spending all day with a nasty pain extremely bearable.

It even helps when you're just sick. Ailments are distressing largely because we are acutely aware of them, so get distracted and it can be like a miracle cure (albeit temporarily).

Originally Posted by Gallifrey
It even helps when you're just sick. Ailments are distressing largely because we are acutely aware of them, so get distracted and it can be like a miracle cure (albeit temporarily).

Provided you aren't sitting on a chair and sneezing on the monitor

When I was a kid I did exactly that, I would put the C64 on my lap and play from my bed when I was sick. It helped distract me from how sick I was, but I can't really do that now. Sitting and staring at the monitor just doesn't help too much and putting the desktop computer on my lap and laying in bed just wouldn't be that comfortable


@chamr I blame all those damn exellent games for my back, arms, wrist pain. If those games didn't suck me in and MAKE me play for sooooo long my back wouldn't hurt after playing. DAMN YOU WITCHER DAMN YOU TO HELL.

Just like any other form of entertainment that takes your mind off things, games are surely therapeutic in a way. I dont know about you, but I always feel better after blowing away a few zombies, no matter what my particular pain seems to be that day!