Wii stimulates, rehabilitates the brain
Monday, May 14th, 2007 at 9:13am by Jack
If you were to have told me in November that Wii Sports boxing would be helping a stroke victim get back into the real ring I would have laughed out loud. I think a lot of people would have done the same. Wii Sports was a watershed moment for the gaming industry at the time, but it was by no means a panacea for anything but gaming. Or was it?
Today we learn that the doctors at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital is first in North America to use the Wii technology to treat patients with movement and balance issues.
It’s moments like these when you see that a system is truly disruptive. For all the hate I spew at the PS3, the Folding@Home initiative is a similar example of this phenomenon in action.
Dr. Grigore Burdea, a world leader in computer-based virtual reality techniques in rehabilitation therapies, said in five years, he believes every hospital and rehab clinic will have embraced the gaming technology for their patients.
“It’s very ingenious,” Burdea said, in Edmonton to speak at conference on virtual rehabilitation. “This is pioneering work.”
The more people who get involved with a system the better, regardless of age, walk of life, or whatever. More eyes on the system mean more ideas and more avenues to explore. In the end, that means more fun and better experiences for all of us.
May 14th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Actually, I’ve brought my Wii to the rehabilitation institution I work for several times since it was released in December here in Norway. Patients of all age groups, both male and female loves the Wii Sports Bowling.
It’s one of the few games where people get to have fun, be social and get to use their body at the same time. People laugh, cheer at each other — heck, they try their best to help each other learn how it’s done. It’s really touching when you see a patient with a crutch gets up, picks up the Wiimote and gets a strike. Over and over again. We’ve had therapists check it out and they think it’s a brilliant system. We’ve had 3 generations in a family play against each other.
I think the Wii offers a new and enjoyable way for people to have genuine fun, regardless of their background. Wii Sports Bowling is something everyone can figure out since everyone knows the drill. I just wish more people would see the benefits of all this.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:29 am
You know, I’ve been hearing all these Wii success stories for months now, and they are all wonderful, but after thinking about all of them, I find something curious: they all revolve about Wii Sports!!
Are there any other Wii games out there that deserve the praise Wii Sports has been getting? Or should publishers start talking about the benefits of Wii Sports instead of Wii? Just like when people talk about how ingenious Guitar Hero is, they don’t talk about how ingenious the PS2 or the 360 are!
May 14th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Chalk another one up for Nintendo.
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