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Common video games have the potential to treat and cure phobias, according to a study published in the CyberPsychology and Behavior Journal on October 17.

The study was conducted in Quebec, Canada at the Universite du Quebec en Outaouais. It involved several patients diagnosed with phobias, each treated through exposure therapy.

(Exposure therapy utilizes gradual exposure to a fear. For example, an arachnophobe undergoing exposure therapy might initially be seated in a room with a tarantula at the room’s opposite end; as the patient became more comfortable with the spider’s presence, the therapist would move the spider closer and closer to the patient until finally, the patient would ideally be able to sit next to or hold the spider in his or her hand without fear. Early exposure therapy often involves virtual reality equipment.)

One test group in the study received their initial treatment via expensive virtual reality equipment commonly used for exposure therapy in medical labs, while another test group began their treatment through use of inexpensive, low-end personal computers, head-mounted displays, and common first-person video game software, such as Half-Life and Unreal Tournament.

Surprisingly, the study indicated that PCs running video game software produced similar therapeutic results in patients to the standard medical equipment.

The full study can be read at Ingenta Select.

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I’m glad to see this bit of news; video games don’t get enough credit for their potential uses and benefits, in my opinion.
For one thing, I believe they can teach young kids all kinds of useful things. I’m quite convinced that Final Fantasy VI supported my basic math skills in elementary school and first taught me how to spell "ghost," for example. I also distinctly remember looking up the word "maintain" in the family dictionary because of that game. (Yet I still don’t know exactly how that dang Dispel thing works.)
So, it’s nice to read about a concrete scientific study being performed and indicating practical benefits of video game software.

This post has been edited by Phoenix on 29th October 2003 01:26

blah, it would never be able to help me. im arachnophobic, and if i knew the game had lots of spiders in it, i just wont go near it.

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Shhhh! I'm trying to hear the voices!

Quote (Phoenix @ 28th October 2003 13:31)

Common video games have the potential to treat and cure phobias

Must be why I'm not afraid of anything

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"I had to write four novels before they let me write comic books."
-Brad Meltzer

Quote (Phoenix @ 28th October 2003 17:31)

Common video games have the potential to treat and cure phobias,

So, all i need is now is a FIFA game where you can alter the 1966 world cup finals result, or a Max Payne 2: The fall of Jimmy Hill mod, and i'm fearless...


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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

Im scared of heights and have aracnaphobia and video games with those things in them dont bother me.

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*When all else fails RUN!!!!!

*Theres always a light at the end of the tunnel...just make sure its not an on rushing shot of plasma!

Quote (Phoenix @ 28th October 2003 12:31)

Common video games have the potential to treat and cure phobias

[FONT=Geneva] I have found this to be true, I am a very arachnophobic person, I used to freez and start to tremble at the sight of any spider or thing that had more than 6 legseven if it was only a picture or plastic. It came up to the point of even starting to lose my breath and having panic atacks after being pulled away from the spider.

I also had a horrid fright of dark water, If I couldn't see the bottom I wouldn't even put my hand in. Once my cousin threw me in the pool at night with the lights off, and I started screaming and coudn't swimm because of my overwealming fear of dark watter, consecuently I started to drown.

I have over come my fears to a certain extent because of videogames. I can tolerate some spiders, I can even touch ruber ones, I can go into pools at night and I no longer have panic attacks at just thinking of my two fobias.

This post has been edited by Lilith_Elian on 12th April 2004 07:58

Quote (Dark Paladin @ 28th October 2003 15:26)

Quote (Phoenix @ 28th October 2003 13:31)

Common video games have the potential to treat and cure phobias

Must be why I'm not afraid of anything

I think DP said it best. I've never had any phobias, aside from my logical fear of Climhazzard. I've played video games for half of forever.

This post has been edited by Figaro on 12th April 2004 18:58

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Wow. 1,000 posts.

I miss you all now that I'm in boarding school! ;_;