LA Times Investigates Serious Games

A report by the Los Angeles Times highlights a number of serious games in development aimed to help people overcome medical and emotional conditions, as well as stressful and potentially dangerous situations. Once such game discussed in the article is a disaster simulation game in development at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the Chicago Department of Public Health. The goal of the game is to train public health workers, as well as allied health and service workers on how to handle an aerosol anthrax attack. The game is currently scheduled to be tested in August, and is planned to be used by thousands of Chicago area workers. Another game discussed is CyberLearning Technology's S.M.A.R.T. BrainGames system, which is designed to assist children who suffer from ADHD by improving their ability to focus. The system includes specially designed headgear that features NASA technology that allows a user to learn to control a racing or platform game simply by concentrating. Also discussed is USC's Institute for Creative Technologies' Virtual Iraq, which was showcased at university's recent Games for Health conference. Virtual Iraq attempts to emulate the battlefields of Iraq through virtual reality as a way to combat post-traumatic stress disorder. Interesting parties can visit the entire article for additional information, including quotes from developers and others involved within the serious games gamespace.