The Change Mariner

Game For A Little Therapy?

BusinessWeek Online:

Wild Divine is heralding the arrival of a new genre: healthful games. While not all experts agree, there is an accumulating body of evidence that indicates they can aid relaxation, improve self-esteem, help to overcome phobias -- even assist those with attention deficit disorder (ADD) to cope with the condition.

If the publishing industry is any indication, the self-help gaming market has significant sales potential. Self-help books, which went mainstream in 1936 with Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, raked in sales of $650 million in 2003, and the segment is growing faster than the overall consumer-books market, according to Simba Information, a publishing-research firm in Stamford, Conn. According to Marc Prensky, a New York City gaming consultant, a groundbreaking gaming title would have much the same potential to jumpstart an equally vibrant self-help gaming industry.

Eventually, all games and gaming devices will offer health or educational features, predicts Alan Pope, an engineer and psychologist at NASA's Langley Research Center. "I really see this as a missed opportunity, so far," he says. After all, 4% to 6% of the U.S. population suffers from ADD, according to the Attention Deficit Disorder Assocation.

Posted by Bob King at May 14, 2004 04:50 PM | TrackBack
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