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According to Canadian physicians, videogames can be more effective than drugs alone for people who suffer from chronic pain.

Scientists observed that participants at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver felt more comfortable playing “virtual reality games” than taking pain medication alone.

Researchers note that videogames apparently have the potential of providing a safe, partial alternative to addictive medicine.

Founder of the university’s BioMedia Lab, Diane Gromala went on record stating,

“Controlling pain through computerized VR and biofeedback meditation therapies has the promise of providing successful, cost-effective alternatives to pain medications”.

It’s funny, every time I play “virtual reality games” my pain increases. After pulling a five hour stretch in WoW the pain in my ass is nigh unbearable…maybe I just need to increase my dosage.

Via Engadget, DailyTech

Tags: Study-Vancouver-Video-Game, Video-Game-Chronic-Pain, Video-Game-Pain

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2 Comments » Dan Landis on January 4, 2008 2:27 pm I’m not so sure I believe that. A lot of videogames just make my head hurt, but prescription drugs always make me feel better. Now where’s my royalty checks, Pfizer? Chad Lakkis on January 4, 2008 6:52 pm I think what Josh meant was, if you play “videogames” with Hayden you will feel better…. RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.