Therapists, Army tap Wii for patient rehab

by Jason Dobson { Oct 1st 2007 at 12:12PM }

While the Wii has done an admirable job getting gamers to flail their arms and smash home appliances, it's the console's seemingly never-ending stream of minigames that has many of us here shaking our heads rather than our limbs. However, this is not the case for all would-be gamers, as a new report finds that the Wii has become part of a new physical therapy regiment at a medical facility in Minneapolis, where doctors have begun looking to the Wii as a means to help stroke victims on the road to recovery as they attempt to re-learn movements they used to know by playing games like Wii Sports.

Not only that, but the same report notes that the Army has likewise enlisted the Wii, noting that the little console that could is being used to help injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany regain some of their strength by playing games on the Wii. This is of course encouraging news, not just for those being helped, but also for video games in a more general sense, as we welcome anything that paints the business in a more positive light.

[Thanks Joseph]

Tags: army, patient, rehab, stroke, therapy, wii

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 12:19PM

good for those guys. get some more mobility and have fun at the same time

eelb @ Oct 1st 2007 12:27PM

this is what the wii is all about- getting more people playing games.

Jack @ Oct 1st 2007 12:51PM

But it will end up hurting the industry as a whole if the "casuals" that play Wii don't move on to more "hardcore" games.

I say this because if the industry catches wind thats theres more money in casual gaming (think Nintendo and more recently GameStop) then they're going to screw us.

mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 1:02PM

I think it is worse for the industry to focus only on the ever-shrinking pool of "hardcore" gamers.

Remember a few years back when people were claiming that gaming was dying off in Japan? Yeah, the DS stopped that.

Jack @ Oct 1st 2007 1:10PM

Well I don't necessarily believe we or the industry rather, should focus on ONLY the "hardcore". All I'm saying is business will go to the money, not the faithful. And thats bad news for me at least.

Perhaps this will make for an interesting next gen (2012AD). Nintendo could be the introduction to gaming for the young much like it was for us, or me at least. Then Sony and Microsoft would be for the ones with more dexterity in our hands.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 1st 2007 1:14PM

There is no possible way that a new and original control scheme can hurt the industry. Developers want money. They maximize profit by going after the most diverse groups of gamers by making all kinds of games. Did you know that hardcore gamers still exist and are still willing to pay money for games? As long as that is true, developers will make games for them.

Jack @ Oct 1st 2007 1:36PM

My last sentence may have implied something I didn't want to.

Its not the control scheme that bothers me. Its the marketing.

Additionally, I'd just like to say that its hard to both develop for the "hardcore and the "casual" without one type of game getting more attention. And for me it seems that if the industry doesn't balance it out its going to be bad news. And like I said if it turns out theres more money in making games for "non-gamers" then the gaming industry isn't going to give two shits about us. I mean, who would you make games for?

The group whos going to love what you make and make you more money or the group who is going to always want more, nitpick, scrutinize, and hold you to a higher standard?

But maybe I'm just freaking out. Maybe I'm looking TOO much into this. And for all of our sakes, I hope so.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 1st 2007 3:44PM

How would it hurt the industry? If Casual Gamers don't buy as many games aas so-called Hardcore Gamers, then focus won't switch over to Casual Games.
If Casual Games sell better, at the very least, that suggests there won't be an overall drop in revenue.
Thus, the industry just keeps right on chugging along, except they're making a different kind of game, generally.

No, what most people are (irrationally) afraid of is that somehow it's going to make sense to stop making "hardcore" games. No one ignores their core audience in any industry because they know those people will spend the most money on their products.
The real risk is that "hardcore" game development is getting WAY too expensive. We're already at the point where if a studio releases a dud, there's a damn good chance that's it for them. Spiraling costs pose a far, far, far greater threat than making cheap games that only a handful of people at best will buy.

What might (and SHOULD) happen is that the next round of consoles won't be as much as a leap ahead as the 360 and PS3 are. Making the PS4 only 7xmore powerful than the PS3 would potentially make it cheaper to develop for, as opposed to the PS3, which is about 15xmore powerful than the PS2.
the PS3 and 360's leap in power over the previous generation is also abnormally high, anyway, as I understand it. Hence the prohibitively high prices of these consoles.

Vermilionpulse @ Oct 1st 2007 12:26PM

its true, i am in landstuhl right now. the hospital is about a 5 minute walk away. ive seen the wii in use for therapy. its pretty fun. (no, im not injured, i am stationed here)

mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 12:25PM

Does joystiq even like video games?

The berate every system in every post. I understand they are trying to be funny, but it's really coming off as bitter.

SoulBlade @ Oct 1st 2007 12:31PM

they know that angry fanboys (not necessarily you) pay their bills.

GRANTED @ Oct 1st 2007 12:32PM

if joystiq wasn't cynical and sarcastic i wouldn't read it.

Slaziman @ Oct 1st 2007 12:42PM

I love it, specially when fanboys go JOYSTIQ IS TOBIAS!

CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 1st 2007 12:45PM

Oh don't be fooled man...Joystiq does love videogames....sony videogames that is.

Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 1:29PM

JOYSTIQ IS TOBIAS!!!!!111!!!11ONE!!!11ELEVEN

mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 1:49PM

Note that I'm not saying Joystiq is biased against any particular console (though saying that Nintendo is ruining gaming was pretty harsh). They bash them all pretty regularly.

I would just like to see some love from them about games in general instead of all the doom and gloom.

Tom @ Oct 1st 2007 1:21PM

That would be awsome if they were playing Manhunt 2.

Jack Thompson: "That game teaches you how to kill people!"

Military Sargent:"Ah, Sir. The Military already taught me how to kill people"

Jack Thompson:"oh...right..."

SoulBlade @ Oct 1st 2007 1:59PM

Jack would say "how do you think the military learned how to kill?"

Carrie @ Oct 1st 2007 12:38PM

Lookit the birdies in the background! Yay! :D

Nincodedo @ Oct 1st 2007 12:51PM

Lol, I didn't see those until your comment. XD

RotBot @ Oct 1st 2007 12:55PM

Are those bird stickers there to prevent real birds from smacking into the glass? I've seen those things on some government buildings in DC, too.

Kristof @ Oct 1st 2007 1:21PM

Yeah, they look like stickers.

frozengod @ Oct 1st 2007 12:59PM

Sadly, on the "under a positive light" subject, our most beloved lawyer could also say:

"Videogames are being used for war purposes"

Joseph Opsahl @ Oct 1st 2007 1:35PM

Oh come on, no link to my site, or a full name, come on :P

rokerovakero @ Oct 1st 2007 2:22PM

funny how everyone hates the Wii and moving their arms around to play, yet the people that barely can move love the thing and are encouraged by doctor to play it. Guess the moral of the story is: "don't listen to the hardcore fat asses and pay attention to the doctors." lol

Jack @ Oct 1st 2007 4:04PM

Sure, "casuals" don't buy as many games. But there are more OF them out there. Isn't is the reason why "casuals" are being targeted now? Isn't the reason why there are more shit movies than good ones?

The price issue is dead on though. I mean its the reason Nintendo didn't decided to make a Wii with "true next-gen" graphics right?

meist3r @ Oct 1st 2007 5:37PM

A couple of months back there was a report saying the military had banned doctors from using the Wii for rehab because it was just not feasible for soldiers to be playing when they were supposed to recover. Now they've changed their minds it seems. One of the cases were Wii Sports will make you a better warrior than Gears or Halo³ ever could ^__^