The Beat #004: Ready Player One
Three transformative stories on the use of video games to deliver healthcare
Hey Friends!
This week, we’ve got three stories on the application of video games in healthcare. As a young boy who grew up on N64s and PlayStations, video games have always been a unique outlet for me in their ability to create immersive and engaging experiences. I’m excited to see gaming technology find increasing use in areas such as medical training, rehabilitation, and digital therapeutics.
I hope you enjoy.
A Gaming Switcheroo
Gamers around the globe are well familiar with Borderlands 3, a role-playing, first-person shooter that sold more than five million copies within the first five days of its release.
But while regular updates to enhance gameplay and supplemental character modifications (e.g., weapons, gear, etc.) are commonplace, the release a novel mini-game flew under the radar to even the most ardent of players.
It’s a me, Mario: Taking the form of a retro-style arcade game, "Borderlands Science" has players shifting colored blocks between rows and columns to solve puzzles. These successes are then rewarded with in-game currency, which players can use to better combat the aliens, mercenaries, machines and space cultists of the main game.
Leveling up: But unlike Tetris, where “errors pile up and accomplishments disappear,” Borderlands Science has a lot more under the hood. The colored blocks and puzzles that it challenges players with each represent nucleotides and fragments of microbial RNA gene sequences.
In fact, Borderlands Science's true goal is to help artificial intelligence algorithms iron out errors when organizing and analyzing those RNA sequences en masse.
The results: Not only have 1.6 million different players solved at least one task, each player completed an average of ~40 puzzles for a collective total of 63.2 million (!) total gene sequences mapped.
By compiling the millions of matches that players are making, the project aims to build a higher-quality body of data that researchers can leverage in the development of future gastrointestinal treatments.
Can Playing Video Games Be Good for Kids?
Let’s be frank: Infants struggle to keep their emotions in check. Picture this - a six year-old’s nuclear meltdown because the line at Disneyland is too long or the McDonalds ice cream machine is broken (again). Pretty easy, right?
With these types of outbursts all too common, Neuromotion Labs sought to build a gaming platform to teach kids emotional management skills.
The concept is incredibly simple: Kids strap on a small, wrist-based heart rate monitor, pair it to their iPhone, and choose from a library of over 100 games to play.
The titles are actual Apple App Store games whose developers have allowed Mightier access to their game code.
As kids play each game, levels get more difficult, which causes the child's heart rate to increase. This might mean additional visual distractors that appear onscreen, more enemies to combat, or an increase in the game’s speed.
Here’s where things get interesting: In parallel, the child's heart rate is displayed as a sidebar in the game.
Once it reaches the "red zone," or a level of high stress well above their resting heart rate, the game pauses and plays an animation to model a deep-breathing, mindfulness exercise.
By regulating their breathing, the kids can watch their heart rates fall using this built-in biofeedback system.
Bio- what: Biofeedback is a mind-body technique that involves using visual or auditory cues to gain control of involuntary bodily functions, such as your blood pressure and heart rate.
The technique has been proven effective in alleviating symptoms of hypertension, chronic stress, headaches, digestive disorders, pain, anxiety, and much more.
In the case of Mightier, "gamifying" mindfulness and composure builds strong incentives for kids to take charge of their emotions - they have to if they want to win the game.
So let the kids play: Peer-reviewed studies amongst children with anger management issues showed that playing Mightier reduced outbursts by 62%, oppositional behaviors by 40%, and parental stress by 19%.
Elementary, My Dear Watson
Airline pilots in training can spend 100+ hours in a flight simulator before ever walking aboard a plane and turning left instead of right.
Level Ex, developers of educational video games used by 700,000+ medical professionals, aims to provide a similarly immersive experience for MDs at the forefront of treating COVID-19.
Think of it like 20 Questions: Finding themselves in a digital emergency room, doctors are presented with a number of different patient scenarios (e.g., symptoms, comorbidities, risk factors, availability of ventilators, etc.) who may or may not have COVID-19.
The MD can then ask questions to this hypothetical patient and run a variety of diagnostic tests before ultimately developing a detailed plan for treatment.
As the MD works through their decision-making process, the game provides immediate feedback on whether their decisions are in line with recommended guidelines of care.
Somebody did their homework: The company consulted physicians specializing in pulmonary medicine, critical care, cardiology, anesthesiology and emergency medicine who have encountered a large number of patients with COVID-19.
In addition, the game incorporates clinical guidelines and other published recommendations from sources such as the CDC, WHO, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
In times of need: The pandemic caught the healthcare system off-guard in more ways than just one. Here, Level Ex provides a unique mechanism to prepare physicians for the deductive reasoning challenges of diagnosing a COVID-19 patient and developing a optimized plan of action.
Providing real-time feedback on the most up-to-date clinical practices, the game allows those preparing for the frontline to sharpen their skills in a safe, virtual environment.
As always, we sign off with our meme of the week!
