A soldier in a Humvee scoots across the desert, warily eyeing the vast, empty plain. A fire appears on the horizon, driving smoke high into the sky. The soldier is alert but calm. There is a rumbling noise, then the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire from Iraqi insurgents.
Suddenly, the soldier flinches and the scene disappears -- quieted by a keystroke. The soldier relaxes and returns to the reality of his therapist's office.
Game over.
For all the entertainment that video games provide, their technology also holds promise for vanquishing some real world enemies -- such as (in this case) post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Virtual Iraq," designed by an interdisciplinary team at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, is just one of many therapeutic and educational interactive games in development that started pulses racing at the Games for Health conference last Tuesday at USC.
Riding a monster wave of advances in game technology, a raucous alliance of researchers, medical professionals, game developers and artists are collaborating on an array of health-related video game projects.
They are shaping the seductive, hypnotic allure of conventional video games into virtual reality tools aimed at treating a host of medical and emotional conditions.
The games are based on the premise -- supported by research -- that most people, including elderly stroke victims and mentally challenged kids, have a unique capacity to work harder when confronted with an engaging game.
Some of the games in development are designed to improve cognitive functioning in the aging brain; boost motor skills in stroke victims; focus the attention of brain-injured kids or those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Other games use interactive scenarios to walk nurses, trauma physicians and medics through real-life situations including battleground medicine; educate children and adults on diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, leukemia and HIV; and help kids relax before surgery.
Held the day before last week's E3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo -- the world's largest video game trade show and super bowl of the video game industry -- Games for Health attracted more than 100 game developers and healthcare professionals and researchers.
Lacking big bucks and commercial prospects, this tiny subset of the $11.3-billion U.S. video game market has had a hard time getting traction. But many believe the industry is at a tipping point.
