Disabled people prescribed gaming

 

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Posted on 11 Jun 2008 at 16:54

Tens of millions of disabled people worldwide are gravitating towards casual gaming due to the enhanced feeling of comfort and relief it offers them, according to a survey conducted by Information Solutions Group.

The results revealed that one in ten disabled people has been prescribed or recommended casual gaming by their physician.

The research group found that of the 13,296 casual game players it surveyed, over 20 per cent identified themselves as "mildly", "moderately" or "severely" disabled. The group estimates that there is a total of 300 million to 400 million casual gamers worldwide.

When asked to select as many benefits that applied from gaming, those with physical disabilities cited stress relief (84 per cent) and distraction from issues related to disability (73 per cent) as the main draws. Those with mental disabilities said gaming was good for stress relief (87 per cent) and mood-lifting (78 per cent), and gamers with developmental or learning issues claimed they benefited from improved concentration (79 per cent) and improved coordination and manual dexterity (73 per cent).

Respondents were also invited to offer 'additional benefits' they receive from playing computer games, with many disabled gamers saying it gives them a deeper sensation of achievement, "belonging", or distraction from loneliness and/or chronic pain.

"Let's just say that playing the games helps my whole well-being; sometimes they give me a direct and immediate purpose in life, and that's an important sensation to have every so often," said Gary Robinson, a US gamer with severe physical disabilities.

The parents of another disabled gamer added: "Our son with Attention Deficit Disorder does not really remember he has a disability when he is playing."

Almost half (44 per cent) of all disabled gamers claimed that they had recommended playing casual games to others with significant disabilities, and 11 per cent said that a "physician, psychiatrist, physical therapist or other medical professional had prescribed or recommended playing casual games as part of the treatment" for their disability.

"With some forms of depression, a person may be very focused on something that clearly amounts to a misperception of reality. So the chance to distance themselves from the perceived negative situation and relax may allow them to think more clearly and consider the situation later in a more realistic manner," explained psychologist Dr Carl Arinoldo.

Author: Dawinderpal Sahota