While Guitar Hero may not always be easy on the ears, the video game has been shown to help aid hospital patients' rehabilitation efforts.
The Guitar Hero video games are known for their ability to turn awkward teens into legendary rock ‘n roll superstars (at least in their own minds)—but did you know that Guitar Hero also provides healing power?
It may not seem that way when you’re stuck listening to your kid or an otherwise-sophisticated significant other jam along to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Higher Ground” for the ten-thousandth time, but, while the game may not give the unenthusiastic listener much pain relief (possibly the opposite, in fact), it can have near-miraculous properties for people with physical disabilities.
A team of engineers from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University recently spent some time playing with the Guitar Hero console, modifying it for use by people with amputated hands. If it seems like a lot of trouble just to sell a few more copies of an already mega-popular game, it is—but it’s got a broader purpose than that: the “hacked” version of Guitar Hero provides a fun way to get patients motivated about taking part in tough physical therapy.
Guitar Hero isn’t the only game that’s been adapted to assist hospital patients in their rehabilitation: another top seller, the Nintendo Wii, has also been adapted to help patients with their recovery. At Boston’s Spalding Hospital, patients with strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord problems, and a range of other disabilities have been competing against each other and the hospital’s medical staff in Wii bowling, tennis, and other games for more than a year.
“This is really helping me with getting back balance and getting my body to work in harmony,” Rev. Robert O’Shea, a knee replacement patient, told the Boston Globe. “Plus it gives me a chance to discover talents I never knew I had.”
Such games are especially beneficial to burn victims, who are often so traumatized by their injuries that they’re unmotivated to take part in traditional physical therapy. But the chance to beat their doctors at Wii boxing, or to perform a virtuostic Iron Maiden solo in Guitar Hero, gives them the inspiration they need to stretch out their limbs to promote healing, no matter how painful the process might be.
“It provides them with an escape,” said Sam Yohann, a researcher and physical therapist from New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “The support and socialization really help in their overall recovery.”
So, whether you’ve been bitten by the Guitar Hero bug or not, don’t roll your eyes at video games: as far as modern medicine goes, they could be right up there with the mechanical leech.