With community support, Child’s Play Charity will continue to improve the lives of pediatric patients and find new ways to help children Play Games, Feel Better™
Travis Eriksen, Child’s PlayTM Executive Director, answered the questions of HealGameUkraine.
In the words “video games for children in hospitals,” some people might imagine a lonely child lying in a hospital room playing a video game… And that’s it. It can also mean a lot to this child! But as I know, you also integrate games into procedures and therapy. I was amazed at things like No Fear MRI, Ohmni Robot, VR Games that children can help create and other things you do. Could you tell us more about your mission and work?
Our mission is to help bring games and technology to children’s hospitals all across the world, and to help teach the caretakers how to use games and tech more intentionally in the healing process.
Could you tell us more about Pediatric Gaming and Technology Specialists’ innovation? For me, a 6-year-old, it would be fantastic to know that there is a person who is responsible for making sure I can play Lego and video games in the hospital.
Child Life Therapists and Play Therapists are often the ones who are responsible for managing and maintaining gaming systems inside children’s hospitals. This kind of maintenance is not what they were trained to do, they are there to help educate children at an age appropriate level about their diagnosis, prepare them for treatment procedures, help keep them on track in school, and help normalize life by offering opportunities for play. It is this later part that lands games and tech in their lap because there is no one else to manage the “play” systems.
We saw the need for a specific role inside the hospital to fill the need of system maintenance, but that role is also able to be a driving force in the use of games and tech during procedures, integrating new tech like VR or 3D printing and being a dedicated staff member to games and tech. We started providing grants to fund these positions in 2017 and have funded nearly 50 so far.
I read a brilliant book by Dr. Robert Rice, “Video Games In Psychotherapy” in which he also writes about the importance of understanding how medicine works for faster recovery (and how video games can help). A bright example is a RE:mission games by HopeLab which helps children with cancer be aware of chemotherapy work. Do you use video games and gamification for purposes like this and how exactly?
While RE:mission is a great example of a game specifically designed for medical play, the games we have in our Therapeutic Video Game Guide are looking at readily available commercial titles. We have actually funded a game developer position at Children’s Colorado and they have developed three VR games specifically for use in the hospital.
Unfortunately, the treatment and rehabilitation of children with physical disabilities and traumas is very important for Ukraine now, because of the Russian war. How do you help keep up the spirit of children with physical disabilities and traumas?
We strongly believe in the power of play and that it is an important healing tool for children who have experienced traumas or are learning to live with physical disabilities. We know that play helps children grow and learn, and that supporting play inside the hospital is crucial to not only the healing process but helping a child feel like a kid and making the hospital less scary. Games provide opportunities for play that are safe and challenging but also empower children to be the heroes and create points of success (beating a boss or a level, solving a puzzle).
Common arguments against video games are “gaming can make children lonely and asocial” or “aggressive”. I think some parents and doctors consider video games not “healthy”. What do you think about this?
As our Therapeutic Video Game Guide shows, games can have a positive impact on many different ailments children face. I believe it is important that parents and caretakers are aware of game ratings and the amount of time a child is spending playing video games, but I do not think that games make children asocial, or aggressive.
As а person who works with tech and robots, how do you see the future?
This space is always moving forward, it is exciting to look at how things like teleconferencing robots have evolved in the past years to a point now where children can control a robot and go visit people and places they would not otherwise be able to do if they are in isolation in the hospital. I expect these robots will get even better in the years to come allowing for more opportunities for children to experience the world from their hospital bed.
What technology (perhaps not yet existing) would you like to see in every children’s hospital?
More than technology, I would like to see a Game Tech in every hospital. Without the staff specifically dedicated to using, learning about and exploring technology anything new introduced could become more of a burden than a benefit.
I have seen videos about things like Desert Bus for Hope and Gamers Give Back® which Child’s Play does to help children, and how passionate all of you are. Perhaps you can share a story related to Child’s Play’s work which especially touches you and gives you a special sense of things you do here?
There are many stories of the impact that games have on children while they are hospitalized, for me it is hearing stories how the Game Techs we have funded have been able to have a positive impact inside the hospital, from providing VR during procedures as a distraction to reduce the need for anesthetics, to them putting on an “Arcade” day to encourage kids out of their room to gather together and play games in a social setting. These stories show the impact of having a person dedicated to games and technology in the hospital and I truly hope to see this role in every hospital one day.
