Teens fight cancer with video game

Besides problems with studies, parents worry for the health of children who are gamers. Computer games, according to some reliable studies, cause obesity and early deterioration of eyesight, to name a few. There are also particular types of video games that affect the attitude of the gamers. However, there is this one game that promotes good attitude and good health all at the same time. It is the Re-mission.

Re-mission is a video game designed to help patients sickened with cancer fight the illness. Pamela Omidyar, wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, started it all in the HopeLab. The idea is to help kids learn about the treatment they experience in a vivid way. The game lets players control a tiny robot travelling through the human body to destroy harmful cancer cells. Along the way, there are complex medical terminologies that it needs to break down, and then explains what is taking place in the body when it undergoes treatment like chemotherapy. This way, kids are given a different mental view of their enemy, the cancer.

Teen cancer patients also benefit from experiencing positive emotions that come from the treatment, because in some ways, they've fought and killed cancer cells by themselves. Dan Neumann, a cancer survivor, said Re-mission did far better than the pamphlets used by doctors in white scrubs in explaining the chemotherapy process. The game ultimately made him feel better about his treatment.

Re-mission has been helping kids out in 81 countries, and is available for downloading online. In 2012, at the earliest, the new Re-mission program being developed by HopeLab will be released. Hopefully, more kids would benefit from this innovative approach of tackling cancer.

Mecheil is a product consultant for Mens Scrubs and Womens Scrubs. Check our featured brands and complete line of the latest medical scrub designs at Pulse Uniform.