Extending our ability to create games beyond the realms of market research is something we feel very strongly about at Research Through Gaming. Having already begun working in the academic sector with the IMPRINTS project, we are constantly on the look-out for ways in which our skills can aid other projects looking to use games to improve results – in whichever industry. It’s a wonderful feeling to also find others doing exactly the same thing and so I’m happy to report that this week, I discovered Limbs Alive.
Established in 2010 in partnership with Newcastle University, Limbs Alive specialises in the rehabilitation of the hand and arm for people of all ages who have hemiplegia; total paralysis of the arm and leg on one side of the body, often through stroke. Their aim (the 6 F’s) is to make the rehabilitation process fun, focused, frequent, family friendly and financially feasible and able to keep the user fit.
How does it achieve all this? By encouraging rehabilitation through video games. The premise is simple enough; the player uses two hand held controllers – very similar in design to the Wii controller and nunchuck and is then shown via a display avatar in the corner of the screen, how to use them in order to score points, manoeuvre through levels and complete games.
The first set of games produced by Limbs Alive is called Circus Challenge. It has been specially designed to improve the player’s ability to perform two-handed tasks. You are placed in control of several circus performers including a Trapeze Artist, a High Diver, a Juggler and even a Tiger Trainer. You must then co-ordinate your movement to complete the tasks set before the performers. These tasks begin out simple and grow more complex as you progress through the levels.
Of course, this sounds very similar to the controller-free games we have become used to over the last five years, but what makes this console different to its counterparts is that movement is monitored for progress, which is then be collected as data on the patient’s recovery. Gamers can actually see their rehabilitation measured in a quantifiable way. “How well am I recovering?” “Let’s check your scores!”
As Professor Janet Eyre explains, the game is able to offer “high motivation with standardised conditions”; motivation that usually comes at the cost of several physiotherapists, nurses and doctors over many months. I’m not suggesting that Limbs Alive is able to take over the morale boosting duties of these highly trained professionals, but as a tool to aid them, it can only assist in making their jobs easier by giving them a ‘gaming’ option.
I believe it is this kind of gamification that will ultimately define what we mean by the term; creating actual games that assist in improving results and engaging with people to create something that is fun. It’s something I hope to report more on in further posts.