New video game zaps the cancer invaders
Saturday March 18 2006
Colin Joyce
in Tokyo
THE country that gave the world space invaders and PlayStation has developed a different kind of video game: one that helps people fight cancer.
in Tokyo
THE country that gave the world space invaders and PlayStation has developed a different kind of video game: one that helps people fight cancer.
In Protect Life gamers are 'armed' only with their immune system and blast away at cancerous cells.
The game will boost survival rates by improving patient morale and preventing a sense of hopelessness , researchers hope.
"The idea is derived from image therapy and visualisation, which are valuable complementary treatments for cancer," said Hiromitsu Kikuchi who devised it.
The computer game begins with a patient selecting the afflicted organ by mouse click. The screen shows how healthy cells turn cancerous. The cancer cells then form clusters but are finally destroyed. Patient reaction has been positive. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
