<s>
Video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
process	O
of	O
using	O
common	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
and	O
methodology	O
to	O
target	O
and	O
improve	O
physical	O
and	O
mental	O
weaknesses	O
through	O
therapeutic	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Platforms	O
that	O
feature	O
motion	B-Algorithm
control	I-Algorithm
,	O
notably	O
the	B-Operating_System
Nintendo	I-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Algorithm
Kinect	I-Algorithm
,	O
Sony	O
's	O
Eye	B-General_Concept
Toy	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
have	O
all	O
been	O
effective	O
in	O
this	O
field	O
of	O
research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
systems	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
environments	I-Application
became	O
more	O
accessible	O
and	O
affordable	O
,	O
though	O
,	O
so	O
too	O
did	O
the	O
implementations	O
of	O
and	O
research	O
on	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
researchers	O
across	O
the	O
world	O
began	O
experimenting	O
with	O
the	O
effect	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
in	O
therapeutic	O
measures	O
for	O
anxiety	O
disorder	O
and	O
phobias	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
positive	O
results	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
better	O
motor	O
control	O
and	O
lower	O
anxiety	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
phobias	O
,	O
coming	O
from	O
these	O
experiments	O
,	O
researchers	O
began	O
looking	O
into	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
systems	O
as	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
rehabilitation	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
research	O
has	O
expanded	O
since	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Now	O
,	O
common	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
such	O
as	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
allow	O
researchers	O
to	O
use	O
cheaper	O
,	O
more	O
readily	O
available	O
systems	O
in	O
their	O
labs	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
opening	O
up	O
new	O
possibilities	O
for	O
games	O
and	O
rehabilitation	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
studies	O
have	O
been	O
conducted	O
regarding	O
the	O
potential	O
of	O
applying	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
to	O
different	O
therapies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
systematic	O
literature	O
review	O
published	O
in	O
2012	O
analyzed	O
963	O
publications	O
regarding	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
and	O
rehabilitation	O
from	O
1996	O
and	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lastly	O
,	O
this	O
investigation	O
cites	O
the	O
importance	O
of	O
research	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
and	O
rehabilitation	O
,	O
once	O
the	O
potential	O
of	O
this	O
technology	O
is	O
recognized	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
neural	O
and	O
cognitive	O
rehabilitation	O
of	O
different	O
patients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
extensively	O
shown	O
that	O
people	O
feel	O
more	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
gaming	O
environment	O
and	O
less	O
contained	O
in	O
a	O
doctors	O
office	O
when	O
interacting	O
in	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
,	O
gaming	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
those	O
who	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
have	O
also	O
been	O
shown	O
to	O
use	O
less	O
energy	O
than	O
those	O
participating	O
in	O
normal	O
therapeutic	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Patients	O
who	O
use	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
have	O
been	O
shown	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
engaged	O
in	O
the	O
therapy	O
efforts	O
and	O
more	O
likely	O
to	O
continue	O
their	O
therapy	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
doctor	O
's	O
office	O
than	O
those	O
engaging	O
in	O
regular	O
therapeutic	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
their	O
increased	O
adherence	O
to	O
therapy	O
and	O
motivation	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
therapy	O
,	O
patients	O
who	O
engage	O
in	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
have	O
also	O
shown	O
improved	O
outcomes	O
of	O
their	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
found	O
through	O
research	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
that	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
situations	O
can	O
likely	O
increase	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
desire	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
therapy	O
and	O
therefore	O
increase	O
their	O
chances	O
of	O
reaching	O
their	O
therapy	O
goals	O
,	O
unlike	O
those	O
left	O
underachieved	O
with	O
regular	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
conducted	O
a	O
study	O
to	O
evaluate	O
the	O
efficacy	O
of	O
including	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
in	O
an	O
established	O
falls	O
prevention	O
training	O
program	O
to	O
improve	O
balance	O
,	O
mobility	O
,	O
and	O
educate	O
recovery	O
from	O
the	O
instance	O
of	O
a	O
fall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
7-week	O
falls	O
prevention	O
training	O
,	O
the	O
results	O
indicated	O
that	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
can	O
positively	O
support	O
a	O
standard	O
rehabilitation	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
alone	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
encouraged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
participants	O
found	O
the	O
experience	O
of	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
game	O
as	O
enjoyable	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
support	O
patients	O
engagement	O
to	O
training	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Extending	O
this	O
study	O
,	O
another	O
research	O
conducted	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
University	O
of	O
Essex	O
found	O
that	O
training	O
with	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
can	O
imply	O
on	O
mood	O
and	O
self-esteem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
said	O
by	O
investigators	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
appropriate	O
to	O
generalize	O
,	O
however	O
one	O
participant	O
who	O
had	O
the	O
biggest	O
improvement	O
on	O
the	O
functional	O
measures	O
had	O
the	O
largest	O
positive	O
changes	O
in	O
well-being	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
indicate	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
as	O
an	O
adjunct	O
to	O
standard	O
falls	O
prevention	O
training	O
can	O
improve	O
not	O
only	O
functional	O
but	O
also	O
psychological	O
outcomes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
'	O
Circus	O
Challenge	O
 '	O
,	O
created	O
by	O
Newcastle	O
University	O
scientists	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
based	O
game	O
developed	O
specifically	O
to	O
support	O
hands	O
and	O
arms	O
 '	O
muscles	O
recovery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
Wii	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
in	O
Video	B-General_Concept
Game	I-General_Concept
Rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
benefit	O
the	O
patient	O
's	O
recovery	O
and	O
provide	O
motivation	O
for	O
alternative	O
leisure	O
actives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
recovery	O
of	O
upper	O
extremity	O
muscles	O
,	O
ARMStrokes	O
was	O
recently	O
introduced	O
as	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
to	O
help	O
stroke	O
survivors	O
to	O
complete	O
their	O
rehabilitation	O
exercises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Research	O
has	O
indicated	O
that	O
children	O
with	O
cerebral	O
palsy	O
can	O
benefit	O
from	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
games	O
such	O
as	O
jogging	O
,	O
bicycling	O
,	O
snowboarding	O
,	O
and	O
skiing	O
to	O
increase	O
their	O
physical	O
activity	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
there	O
is	O
great	O
interest	O
in	O
using	O
video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
with	O
children	O
with	O
cerebral	O
palsy	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
difficult	O
to	O
compare	O
outcomes	O
between	O
studies	O
,	O
and	O
therefore	O
to	O
reach	O
evidence-based	O
conclusions	O
on	O
its	O
effectiveness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expanding	O
outside	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
and	O
gaming	O
systems	O
,	O
a	O
newer	O
segment	O
of	O
video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
focuses	O
on	O
games	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
mobile	O
phones	O
or	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
-	O
mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
researchers	O
have	O
recently	O
begun	O
to	O
experiment	O
with	O
how	O
mobile	B-Application
phone	I-Application
applications	I-Application
can	O
also	O
contribute	O
to	O
rehabilitation	O
measures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
case	O
,	O
the	O
common	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
Fruit	B-Application
Ninja	I-Application
,	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
track	O
patient	O
use	O
of	O
their	O
fingers	O
and	O
control	O
of	O
their	O
hand	O
when	O
making	O
fine	O
movements	O
such	O
as	O
cutting	O
a	O
fruit	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Timed	O
Up	O
and	O
Go	O
test	O
(	O
TUG	O
)	O
scores	O
have	O
been	O
seen	O
to	O
improve	O
after	O
having	O
engaged	O
in	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
studies	O
have	O
produced	O
output	O
that	O
suggests	O
that	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
games	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
effectively	O
increase	O
patients	O
 '	O
scores	O
after	O
a	O
certain	O
period	O
of	O
rehabilitation	O
through	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
patient	O
classes	O
have	O
been	O
shown	O
to	O
display	O
slightly	O
better	O
improvements	O
when	O
using	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
game	O
or	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
balance	O
board	O
than	O
when	O
engaging	O
in	O
regular	O
therapeutic	O
methodologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Balance	O
and	O
energy	O
expenditure	O
are	O
other	O
great	O
improvements	O
seen	O
amongst	O
patients	O
of	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Methods	O
such	O
as	O
using	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Fit	O
board	O
and	O
Wii	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
games	O
have	O
proven	O
effective	O
at	O
increasing	O
these	O
numbers	O
amongst	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
patients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
engaging	O
in	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
Wii-based	O
games	O
,	O
have	O
shown	O
improvement	O
comparable	O
to	O
,	O
or	O
better	O
than	O
,	O
what	O
they	O
display	O
during	O
regular	O
methodologies	O
,	O
gaining	O
support	O
for	O
these	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
working	O
with	O
a	O
Wii-based	O
system	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
shown	O
that	O
a	O
patient	O
who	O
struggled	O
with	O
walking	O
large	O
distances	O
before	O
,	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
walk	O
a	O
noticeably	O
longer	O
distance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
suggests	O
an	O
improvement	O
in	O
larger	O
motor	O
skills	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
stroke	O
patients	O
demonstrated	O
an	O
improvement	O
in	O
finer	O
motor	O
skills	O
,	O
focused	O
strictly	O
on	O
their	O
use	O
of	O
upper	O
extremities	O
during	O
the	O
gaming	B-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
challenge	O
in	O
video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
,	O
can	O
result	O
to	O
lack	O
of	O
computer	O
skills	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
therapists	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
support	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
expensive	O
equipment	O
,	O
inadequate	O
communication	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
and	O
patient	O
safety	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
common	O
effects	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
environments	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
dizziness	O
,	O
nausea	O
,	O
and	O
disorientation	O
,	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
found	O
to	O
result	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
rehabilitation	O
through	O
these	O
methodologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
these	O
scenarios	O
work	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
other	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
scenarios	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
exempt	O
from	O
the	O
negative	O
results	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
across	O
the	O
board	O
from	O
these	O
sorts	O
of	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
patients	O
have	O
shown	O
this	O
to	O
be	O
evident	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
systems	O
have	O
also	O
proven	O
difficult	O
to	O
maintain	O
and	O
sanitize	O
after	O
use	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
caused	O
some	O
to	O
stray	O
away	O
from	O
their	O
use	O
and	O
stick	O
to	O
regular	O
methodologies	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
can	O
be	O
said	O
with	O
results	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
with	O
elderly	O
patients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	B-General_Concept
game	I-General_Concept
rehabilitation	I-General_Concept
will	O
take	O
over	O
the	O
occupation	O
career	O
and	O
what	O
it	O
used	O
to	O
be	O
.	O
</s>
