The Sims: Crack Den (Ok, Not Really)
There has been a lot of talk recently about what goes into video games and how impressionable minds might be negatively reinforced by them. Things like violence, sex and drug usage are all hot topics and it is unprecedented that including any of these things could be beneficial to any individuals. A team at Duke University has created a simulation of a Crack Den for the purposes of rehabilitation, the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Professor Zach Rosentha gave a quick statement on how the program is set to work.
What we're trying to do is take people into a virtual crack-related neighborhood or crack-related setting and have them experience cravings, just like they would in the real world
So how does the program work? Easy! It's reconditioning people like Pavlov's Dog!
When temptation arises in certain situations, the patient rates his or her own craving level. But the magic moment comes when a high craving subsides, which it does, because the patient won't be taking drugs in the virtual world.The therapist tries to tie that moment, when a craving subsides, to a trigger, like a tone. So the addict eventually learns to associate the sound with the sensation of decreased craving.
The ultimate goal is to stop a craving before it begins, even if an addict walks into a tempting situation in the real world.
For example, if an addict ends up in a tempting situation, he or she can take out the phone donated by the program, dial a number and hear that tone. The addict remembers the sound learned in the therapy session, and the craving should subside.
Well that seems simple enough. While it seems a little too simple, a 52-year-old recovering cocaine (whom wished not to be identified) addict swears by the program.
The program has done wonders for me, Although I have fallen since I came out of the program, I am clean and have been clean for a good while.
While the game focuses on the extreme ends of addiction, it can really be applied to anything. Having recently quit smoking and having a close family member battle with chronic alcoholism, I can personally attest that conditioning oneself to fight cravings is a very valid for battling addition.
Virtual Reality Game Helps Drug Addicts Recover [ABC News]
[via GamePolitics.com]
Asterick
Posted to Video Games on 6 November 2007
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: crack den, drug addiction, duke university, simulation
That's pretty cool, hopefully it works well!
This is an interesting application of gaming, and has a lot of merit... but the Pavlov's Dog tonal conditioning is old and busted. The new hotness in psychological conditioning is simply to give the subject/gamer positive reinforcement such as an item or attribute or simply points towards a "High Score". Think WoW and Xbox360 Achievements.
It is unfortunate that the Professor has spent so much time learning about game tech and not kept up with the primary field of interest here, as this could have a detrimental effect on the overall impact. I guess crack addicts won't notice how stupid tonal cues are, but addicts with less fried brain cells will and that is likely to make them resentful.
Love the pic you guys did for this, though!
awesome. i hope they come up with a video game to help with my video game addiction.