Publish at October 08 2017 Updated April 08 2025
As in all spheres of activity, the medical world is going digital. Of course, there's the computerization of records, the possibility of telemedicine, apps to remind patients to take their medication, and so on.
And if classrooms are gradually trying to integrate games into their pedagogical toolbox, the healthcare field also sees opportunities. We've already told you about initiatives using, for example, Nintendo's Wii to help future surgeons practice delicate procedures, or to get the elderly moving.
We also talked about games to help Alzheimer's sufferers reduce the loss of motor skills and memory associated with the disease. We talked about a game like X-TORP, which used Microsoft's Kinect technology to control a submarine and fight smugglers. Until now, this title had been aimed primarily at the medical community. Now, the aim was to create a gaming platform available to the healthcare community and also to the general public. Since September 2017, Curapy is finally accessible to all.
Curapy is intended to be available free of charge. Of course, paying packages offer game tracking, evolution and a downloadable balance sheet. The highest package even offers the opportunity to connect with a healthcare professional, who can view game results and discuss them with the beneficiary. But Internet users can also try out the various games for fun and information, without having to pay.
The platform currently offers three games: one therapeutic and two health-related serious games. Two more therapeutic titles are due to be released shortly. The first is MeMo, a series of memory-boosting games. The second is TOAP Run, a game in which the player has to move his or her body in order to make a mole move around in different settings (a path, a stream, a mine, etc.). The aim is to give patients with walking and balance disorders the opportunity to regain their ability and improve their mobility. Of course, both this game and X-TORP require you to have a Kinect bar connected to your computer. Ideally, it should also be connected to a television. You'll need plenty of space to capture movements properly.
On the other hand, MeMo and the two serious games on offer require only a computer to play. In fact, they have been designed more as playful experiences to refresh the knowledge of nursing staff and the general public alike.
Curapy is a platform that will be just as important for nursing staff as for patients wishing to improve their conditions.
Obviously, those who play for genuinely therapeutic purposes need to be monitored in their efforts by a doctor, so that he or she can analyze the results, propose a number of sessions, and so on. Nevertheless, the ongoing democratization of Curapy to all individuals will enable them to learn first aid and perhaps use the games in a preventative way for body and brain.
Let's hope that the platform continues to grow with other serious and therapeutic games in the years to come. Both the healthcare community and the general public would benefit greatly.
Reference
Curapy. Accessed October 5, 2017. https://www.curapy.com/.
Roberge, Alexandre. "Video Games Help People With Alzheimer's." Thot Cursus. Last updated October 10, 2016. http://cursus.edu/dossiers-articles/articles/27805/jeu-video-aide-les-personnes-atteintes/#.WdZupzCDOM8.
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