Virtual Reality Computer Games Research Articles

Impact of applying virtual reality computer games on complications among children undergoing chemotherapy

Background: Virtual reality computer games are often used to district child attention during chemotherapy. As it is an attractive intervention to prevent complications such as nausea and vomiting among children undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of applying virtual reality computer games on complications among children undergoing chemotherapy. Research design: A Quasi-experimental design was utilized for this study (study /control group). Subjects: A purposive sample of 100 children undergoing chemotherapy was equally and randomly assigned into two groups, the first was the control group and the second was the virtual reality computer games group. Setting: The study was conducted years at the Oncology Institute in Sohag City. Tools: Tool one: A structured interviewing questionnaire and Tool two: Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting Likert scale was utilized for collecting the data. Results: The current study results revealed that there a statistically significant difference was detected among the studied children as regards the occurrence frequency of nausea per 24 hours post the intervention compared to pre the intervention. A statistically significant difference was detected between the two groups as regards vomiting before and after the intervention.

VirtuAAL: Technological Solution based on Virtual Reality computer games for cognitive training for the elderly

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)

Evaluation of the acceptability and usability of the MAGIC-GLASS virtual reality solution as part of the care pathway in people with acute, sub-acute and chronic stroke: a study protocol

Background: Intensive rehabilitation is one of the most important aspects of care for people with stroke, and there is evidence that it leads to better recovery and higher levels of independence. However, pressure on resources in government funded secondary and primary healthcare settings means that for many people with stroke, intense rehabilitation is not available. Effective and efficient ways of increasing rehabilitation intensity, engagement, and motivation for rehabilitation are needed; as well as innovative treatment approaches that enable people with stroke to self-manage this rehabilitation. Technology offers a solution; virtual reality (VR) computer games have the potential to enhance engagement, improve adherence, and outcomes in stroke rehabilitation therapy. However, their integration into current health care pathways needs to be tested.Aims: The aim of the trial is to test the feasibility of incorporating VR computer games into a stroke rehabilitation system called ‘MAGIC-GLASS’, and its integration into the current care pathway for people with stroke.Design: Multicenter, prospective uncontrolled, pre-post intervention study.Setting: Participants will be recruited from Stroke Services, GP Practices or via Stroke Support Groups, and the intervention will be carried out in the hospital setting, or at home after discharge.Population: Adults (≥18 years) who have had a stroke.Interventions: Magic Glass is a clinician facilitated VR-based stroke rehabilitation system. Clinical facilitation includes a minimum of one initial face-to-face contact followed by up to 13 weekly/fortnightly remote contacts (to month six) with a clinician.Outcomes: The usability and acceptability of the intervention; process and resource requirements for the new care pathway; changes in clinical outcomes and potential cost-effectiveness of the solution will be measured to assess change from baseline to six months post intervention.Sample size: In order to have 50 patients in the subgroups identified (time since stroke; severity of stroke; age) we plan to recruit 300 participants, 150 in Northern Ireland and 150 in Italy. Fifty is considered the optimal sample size for this feasibility analysis.Duration: 18 months. Follow up will be post intervention (up to six months post entry into the study). The nested qualitative study will start once the first cohort of participants has completed and will continue throughout the intervention period.

Upper Limb Training with Dynamic Arm Support in Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Feasibility Study

Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) develop progressive loss of arm function. Regular moderate-intensity activities are recommended to prevent disuse atrophy, but conventional resistance exercises are often too strenuous. We conducted a feasibility study to investigate the feasibility and safety of upper limb training with dynamic arm support. Eight boys with DMD who were unable to lift their arms against gravity (age 12-20 years) performed reaching movements with their non-dominant arm for 24 weeks. Participants played a virtual reality computer game and performed activities of daily living while using dynamic arm support. The dominant (untrained) arm of each participant served as a reference. Six of the eight participants completed the entire training program without any adverse events. The trained arm retained more motor function than the untrained arm in 4/6 participants. The findings indicate that boys with DMD can safely train their arms with dynamic arm support.

Children’s responses towards alcohol in virtual reality: associations between parental alcohol use, drinking selections and intentions to drink

To prevent harmful drinking, it is essential to understand factors that promote alcohol use at an early age. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of parental alcohol use in children’s selection of alcoholic beverages in a virtual reality (VR) environment and their intentions to drink in the future. Participants were 7–13-year-old children (N = 127) who filled out questionnaires and participated in a VR computer game paradigm in which they were asked to select food and beverages for their parents and themselves. Children’s selection of alcoholic beverages and their intentions to drink alcohol in the future were measured. Children who reported heavier parental drinking selected more alcoholic beverages for their parents and displayed greater intentions to drink alcohol. Children’s responses in virtual reality explained incremental variance in children’s intentions to drink. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Case Study: Using a Novel Virtual Reality Computer Game for Occupational Therapy Intervention

The past decade has seen the emergence of rehabilitation treatments using virtual reality environments. One of the main advantages of using this technology is that it creates positive motivation. Currently, most virtual-reality-based games for children are not suitable for use in a therapeutic setting. This case study reports on the use of Growing with Timocco, a specially devised virtual reality computer game, as part of an occupational therapy regimen that addressed the developmental needs of a five-year-old patient diagnosed with dyspraxia, impaired postural structure, weak shoulder, and insufficient bilateral integration, bilateral coordination, and proprioception regulation. Developed specifically for use by occupational therapists and caregivers working with children, Growing with Timocco is equipped to provide exercises for both cognitive and motor skills, but most importantly, it provides a positive setting for this practice, by harnessing the advantages of VR to promote play, pleasure, and motivation.

The effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in promoting the psychological well‐being of children hospitalised with cancer

To examine the effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in minimising anxiety and reducing depressive symptoms in Hong Kong Chinese children hospitalised with cancer. There has been an increase in the use of therapeutic play intervention to help children cope with the stress of hospitalisation. However, it is not clear whether therapeutic play is an appropriate psychological intervention for Chinese children hospitalised with cancer. A non-equivalent control group pretest-post-test, between-subject design was employed. Hong Kong Chinese Children (8-16 years of age), admitted to a paediatric oncology ward for the treatment of cancer during a 14-month period, were invited to participate in the study. Of the 122 children, 70 formed the control group receiving routine nursing care and 52 in the experimental group receiving therapeutic play interventions. The results showed that children in the experimental group reported statistically significant fewer depressive symptoms than children in the control group on day 7. The results, however, find no differences in children's anxiety scores between the two groups on day 7. The study provides empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic play, using virtual reality computer games, in the psychological preparation of children hospitalised with cancer, thus charting a path towards promoting holistic and quality care. The findings heighten the awareness in healthcare professionals that play is a very important part of children's life and that they need play even when they are ill.

Case Study: Using a Virtual Reality Computer Game to Teach Fire Safety Skills to Children Diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

To assess the effectiveness of a computer-based virtual reality (VR) game in teaching five children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) fire safety skills and to generalize these skills to a real world simulation. Children participated in a study by using a multiple baseline, multiple probe design. Before the game, no child could correctly describe what actions to take during a home fire. A computerized game allowed them to learn the recommended safety steps in a virtual world. Skill learning and real-world generalization were tested immediately after the intervention and at 1-week post-test. All children reached 100% accuracy on the computer intervention, defined as successfully completing each of the safety steps. At the 1-week follow-up, all the children were able to perform the steps correctly in a real world simulation. The results suggest that this method of intervention warrants further study as an educational delivery system for children with FAS.

A direct circuit experiment system in non-immersive virtual environments for education and entertainment

This article proposes to contribute to the goal of “The Popular Science Teaching Research Project” as well as to enhance the programming abilities of mechanical engineering students. Topics being included as example are in physical science, which include battery, lamp, and electric circuit. These materials are designed, based on virtual-reality technology that is suitable for students as early as fourth-grade students of primary school. It will help the students become familiar with new computer technology and provide an opportunity to study while playing virtual reality computer games. The benefits of the developed application software system of virtual reality are virtualization of teaching equipment, cost reduction of teaching materials, unlimited teaching style, and optimization of learning procedures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 146–152, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20044

Performance evaluation and optimization of human control strategy

Modeling human control strategy (HCS) is becoming an increasingly popular paradigm in a number of different research areas, ranging from robotics and intelligent vehicle highway systems to expert training and virtual reality computer games. Usually, HCS models are derived empirically, rather than analytically, from real-time human input–output data. While these empirical models offer an effective means of transferring intelligent behaviors from humans to robots and other machines, there is a great need to develop adequate performance criteria for these models. It is our goal in this paper to develop several such criteria for the task of human driving. We first collect driving data from different individuals through a real-time graphic driving simulator that we have developed, and identify each individual’s control strategy model through the flexible cascade neural network learning architecture. We then define performance measures for evaluating two aspects of the resultant HCS models. The first is based on event analysis, while the second is based on inherent analysis. Using the proposed performance criteria, we demonstrate the procedure for evaluating the relative skill of different HCS models. Finally, we propose an iterative algorithm for optimizing an initially stable HCS model with respect to independent, user-specified performance criteria, by applying the simultaneously perturbed stochastic approximation (SPSA) algorithm. The methods proposed herein offer a means for modeling and transferring HCS in response to real-time inputs, and improving the intelligent behaviors of artificial machines.