Serious Games – The use of games to teach, known as serious games, has been experiencing growth in many sectors. For example, video games are already more effective than traditional training at the corporate level. Recently, its application in the field of health is also increasing. Do you want to know how?
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Games to Teach and Improve Our Health
Games to change the habits of patients
Many factors influence this critical development. At Harvard, they have investigated the use of new technologies to improve the health system, and gamification has been one of the keys.
From the Global Hearth Informatics of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University, Dr. Yuri Quintana is committed to using games to learn, whose mission is to “change and motivate” the comportment of patients throughout medical behaviors.
Harvard University has mutually systematized a Serious Games for Health course. The objective is to evaluate the implementation of these new interactive technologies in the health industry and thus raise awareness of the importance of educational games for public health.
Games to motivate chronic patients
Indeed, they can use challenging games for something as significant as changing the habits of chronic patients and their way of dealing with medical treatments, such as chemotherapy. They intend with this initiative to seek the patient’s motivation through the game.
The task is in the tactic. Consumers must face a problem difficult enough to excite them but not so impossible that they get discouraged. Training in a positive key is essential: Dr. Quintana points out the importance of the patient not having “negative feelings.”
Harvard’s collaboration with the University of Barcelona has focused on childhood cancer. The application developed by this project explains to children the function of chemotherapy and the treatment process they are undergoing. This way, they manage to help them face their situation.
Games to create healthy habits
These teaching games also serve to promote healthy habits in nutrition. The grand goal of training simulators is to educate the population to improve everyone’s health, a challenging objective that has the best possible ally in games.
Through the vitality offered by gamified actions, players develop a series of steps that have to do with healthy eating and practical challenges such as physical activity and, in general, a better quality of life.
Benefits of using video games
On the other hand, the application of video games. Whether or not they are specific to improving users’ health, is beneficial. Players enhance their cognitive skills, improve their ability to plan, reduce post-traumatic stress levels, and improve spatial skills, among other benefits.
Moreover, these benefits, whether or not derived from the direct application of games to learn. Contribute to the better health of users. This series of advantages highlights the potential of fun and interactive media to learn something by doing it instead of seeing it on a text or a simple blackboard.