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JUNE 14, 2004
Playing Your Way to Health From battling a fear of spiders to flying phobia, here are some games that promise therapeutic benefits along with fun A slew of companies and researchers in academia and the government are working on creating games that help people relax, overcome phobias, and improve their self-esteem. Here's a sampling of their efforts: Overcoming Arachnophobia Name: Virtual Environment for Phobia of Spiders Cost: Free to owners of Max Payne video game Creator: Cyberpsychology Lab at the University of Quebec in Outaouais How it works: A patient wearing 3-D goggles uses virtual reality to get used to spiders' presence. That leads to a real world test: A therapist asks the patient to use a pen to touch a real tarantula, sitting in a jar. Web site: http://www.uqo.ca/cyberpsy/index-en.html Withering Heights Name: Height Phobia Cost: Free to owners of Max Payne video game Creator: Cyberpsychology Lab at the University of Quebec in Outaouais How it works: A patient suffering from acrophobia wears 3-D goggles and a head motion tracker and uses a wireless mouse to take a glass elevator up to a floor of his choosing in a 15-story building. There, he walks along a two-foot-wide ledge circling the building on the outside. Web site: http://www.uqo.ca/cyberpsy/index-en.html Lifting Self Esteem Name: Self-Esteem Games Cost: Free Creator: McGill University in Montreal How it works: A player clicks on smiley faces zooming on clouds through the screen or hiding in a matrix of frowning faces. Research shows that playing one of the games for 10 minutes daily boosts self esteem. Web site: http://www.selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca Flight Without Fear Name: Virtual Airplane Cost: $100 to $200 a therapy session Creator: Virtually Better How it works: A patient suffering from aviophobia would sit, sometimes in a real airplane chair, wearing 3-D goggles and a head motion tracker. A therapist emulates a takeoff, landing, or thunderstorm to prepare the patient for real plane flights. Web site: http://www.virtuallybetter.com A Muse for Meditation Name: The Journey to Wild Divine Cost: $159.95 Creator: The Wild Divine Project How it works: While traveling through lush mountains and temples, players perform breathing exercises and other tasks to relax and revitalize themselves. Sensor rings attached to fingers monitor heart rate and other vitals. Web site: http://www.wilddivine.com 
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