Student-Led Research Suggests Video Games Play Role in Pain Relief

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A group of Wheeling Jesuit University undergraduate students report that playing sports and fighting video games produces a dramatic level of pain distraction.

“Our students found that these gaming distractions may be most helpful in children and young adults undergoing painful procedures or suffering from chronic pain, as these individuals comprise the largest gamer demographics,” says Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, Director of Undergraduate Research and associate professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University.

In the study, Dr. Raudenbush and a group of Wheeling Jesuit undergraduate students (Will Esgro, Trevor Cessna and Ricky Yahn) assessed whether certain genres of video games will significantly distract participants from painful stimuli more than other genres. The students will present the results of the study, Effects of Video Game Play Types on Pain Threshold and Tolerance, during the University’s Seventh Annual Student Research and Scholarship Symposium, April 4, 2006.

"By capitalizing on one-on-one research opportunities with professors - a hallmark of Wheeling Jesuit - students can change their world. Because of their research, our students may improve the quality of life for children undergoing medical treatments or painful procedures,” says Dr. Bryan Raudenbush.

Each spring, Wheeling Jesuit University students present the results of their senior year research projects as they take part in the University’s Research and Scholarship Symposium. More than 75 students will present research projects during the 2006 event.

In general, the researchers found that participants in the sports and fighting game conditions were able to tolerate pain for a longer period when compared to the other game types and the baseline control.

“There are implications here for children, adolescents, and young adults, all of whom are the primary users of such video games. Physicians could possible implement this in their office to aid in distraction during a painful procedure such as injection or dental work,” says Dr. Raudenbush. “Video games could also be used in waiting rooms to distract patients from upcoming surgical procedures.”

Six types of video game types (action, puzzle, arcade, fighting, sport, and boxing) and a control condition were used, with each condition separated by at least 24-hours, in the study. Prior to and during the sessions, physiological measures were monitored (pulse, blood pressures, oxygen saturation). Participants completed a 5-min practice period, and then played the specific game for 10-min. They were then subjected to a cold pressor test. Pain ratings were made on a scale from 0-10 every 30-sec to a maximum of 5-min. Additional questionnaires measured aggressiveness, competitiveness, video game playing habits, mood, and workload.

The study also found that game play produced an increase in pulse as compared to the baseline condition. This increase in pulse was greatest in the action, fighting, sports, and boxing games. The sports game produced the greatest level of anger. The action and puzzle games produced the most mental demand, the largest physical demand was associated with the boxing game, and the temporal demand was greatest in the arcade and boxing games. Performance ratings were highest in the boxing and puzzle condition, and frustration ratings were highest in the arcade and boxing conditions.

Grants from NASA and the NSF supported the research.

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