Using Virtual Reality as Therapy

freakmn writes "CNN reports that Dr. JoAnn Difede, an associate professor for the department of psychiatry and the director of Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies Program at Weill Cornell Medical College is working to help heal the wounds of 9/11 through virtual reality. They claim to use video games to re-enact the events that happened on 9/11 as part of the therapy." From the article: "The program is basic compared to slick video games on the market, but the developers say the simplicity allows patients to fill in the blanks."

Yet..

[Anonymous Coward]

When I do it in Flight simulator, My freinds all give me funny looks.

Re:Yet..

[Spazztastic]

Yeah, at a LAN party I was playing the latest flight simulator in NYC and I crashed into the twin towers... then they said I wasn't allowed to play anymore.

Screenshots?

[KDR_11k]

An article about virtual reality and no screenshots? What does this look like, flat coloured polygons or Counterstrike or something?

hmm

[JohnFluxx]

Clear up some conspiracy theories about 9/11:

<a href="http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/4/28/1049 31/652">kuro5hin link</a>

Re:hmm

[NanoGator]

You do realize that was a piece of satire, right?

Re:hmm

[JohnFluxx]

Yes - I loved it.

Flight Simulator

[freakmn]

When I originally wrote this, I said I wondered if they used Microsoft's Flight Simulator [bbc.co.uk]. I guess my sense of humor may be too crude.

Re:Flight Simulator

[drinkypoo]

That's a really great link to have in here, actually.

"Arush Entertainment is also revising a forthcoming game that features renowned video game character Duke Nukem on the rampage in New York."

Now THAT is sleazy. ANY excuse for the delay, huh?

New subject, old treatment

[Anti_Climax]

They covered the use of VR for phobia patients on Scientific American Frontiers years back. Doctors used old school VR helmets to place acrophobics on virtual bridges and buildings to help them overcome their fears.

What?

[Koiu Lpoi]

What is Stephen King doing at the site of 9/11?

Wait, that's Steven King. My bad.

CS on CS_747?

[jwigum]

Remember, you can shoot through those curtains...

Just don't let them bunny hop to you with their box cutter.

Video Games = Good Health

[MiceHead]

A woman once contacted our customer support, thanking us for creating one of our puzzle games. She told us that she had suffered neurological damage, and was using the logic puzzles to "wake up" the parts of her brain that were sleeping.

Ever since that time, I've told people that games have the power to heal the human miiiind.