Can video games be good for you?

FAMILIES across the country love playing Nintendo Wii.

The video console and games can encourage people to get fit and have fun while pitting their skills against each other or the Wii.

But now researchers are looking into the health benefits of playing the Wii for some medical conditions.

Parkinson's UK has just given a grant of nearly

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35,000 to Queen's University Belfast, to investigate the potential benefits of the Nintendo Wii for people with Parkinson's.

Paul Hill, 56, from Scarborough, who has Parkinson's, is championing the use of the Wii as a way to have fun and help manage Parkinson's symptoms. Paul started using a Wii a year ago, and uses it three or four times a week.

"I suffer from sleep disturbances because of my Parkinson's, so I often spend evenings playing on my Wii until the early hours of the morning," explains Paul.

"It is the pace of the activities and the achieving of goals that are important to me, and I like the balance board and Wii Sports the most. After a session on the Wii I always feel better. I even think that it can be more beneficial to me than my weekly physiotherapy session."

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Parkinson's UK decided to invest in the Belfast research following overwhelming feedback from people with Parkinson's who were finding that using a Wii has helped them with their balance, movements and mood.

Existing research shows that exercise could protect the nerve cells that are dying in Parkinson's, helping them work better and survive for longer.

As Parkinson's develops, many people experience slowed movement, rigidity and tremor, as well as lack of balance and co-ordination. These symptoms often get worse over time.

Difficulty with memory and attention are also common for people with Parkinson's.

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In a recent snap poll of people with Parkinson's who use the Wii eight out of 10 (81 per cent) of respondents said that they use it for exercise and two-thirds (68 per cent) felt that using the Wii helps them manage their symptoms.

One in three (30 per cent) of respondents said that they use the Wii every day, while 39 per cent use it at least once a week.

The research is being lead by Dr Cathy Craig at the School of Psychology at QUB.

Her team aims are to evaluate the benefits of existing games using Wii technology and harness the power of this movement- based game technology to develop their own specially designed bespoke games to be used by people with Parkinson's.

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Two groups of people with Parkinson's will take part in the research. One group will be asked to use the existing Wii system. The second group will try out new, specially designed movement-based software.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and development at Parkinson's UK, said: "This is just the kind of innovative and topical research we like to fund. Exercise can help people with Parkinson's to control movements, improve balance and improve their mood. We are hearing of more and more people who are finding it of benefit, and this research will explore the science behind it.

"It could lead to more people feeling confident about using the Wii in the comfort of their homes. The Wii also has the potential to be used as a way of measuring the symptoms for Parkinson's in future clinical trials of other treatments."

Paul is not alone in finding the Wii helpful for his Parkinson's. Karen Rose, 47, from Bristol, is being featured in one of Nintendo's real story TV advertisements. She started using the Wii a couple of years ago and uses the Wii Fit.

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In the advertisement Karen says: "Most people with Parkinson's find that they lose their confidence. So I tend to do exercise at home. I've got all the benefits of a gym, but I can do it to fit in with my lifestyle and my medication."

Last week, Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren was interviewed live on ITV's Daybreak. She said that she has seen how Parkinson's can affect people's everyday lives and that it would be good to know more about how this innovative technology may be able to offer a way for people with Parkinson's to have a better quality of life.

Why wii could help patients

Moving around to play video games has a variety of health benefits over sitting still and playing regular video games.

Movement – With the Wii, gamers must move around and use their bodies to control the game.

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Healthy cardiovascular system – A study at the University of Wisconsin shows that playing games on the Wii significantly raises the gamer's heart rate, which can contribute to a healthier cardiovascular system.

Weight loss – playing games on the Wii could help a gamer lose weight.

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