And it\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gaming improving health outcomes, according to a panel at SXSW Sydney.<\/p>\n
Another example is Pokemon Go, the augmented reality mobile game that encourages players to walk around their neighbourhoods to catch virtual creatures.<\/p>\n
The game boosted daily step counts among American users by an average of nearly 1500 a day, according to a study, a change now linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n
Gaming is also helping make routine health checks more engaging for children. Sound Scouts, a company founded to address the shortage of audiologists in Australia, developed a game-based hearing test that\u2019s now used in over 2500 schools nationwide.<\/p>\n
The program, which was created in partnership with National Acoustic Laboratories, has delivered more than 220,000 hearing checks, with 40 per cent conducted in regional and remote areas.<\/p>\n
Of those tested, 18 per cent were First Nations children, making hearing assessments more accessible to communities that often face barriers on early detection.<\/p>\n
![\"Sound](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aa9cd2f74f610cc16163239d5d9b858e38a3922f.jpg\")
Sound Scouts created an online hearing test app that delivers an immediate report, including next steps if a hearing loss is detected. Credit: Instagram Sound Scouts<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know how boring hearing tests are?\u201d Sound Scouts founder Carolyn Mee asked the audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to make a hearing test fun was our mission. A games-based solution was the priority from day one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in hospitals gaming is being used to reduce anxiety in young patients.<\/p>\n
Creative technology studio Handy Squid is teaming up with NSW Health to develop interactive gaming experiences for children\u2019s hospitals in Randwick and Westmead.<\/p>\n
The initiative, launching in late October, was shaped by input from children and neuroscientists to ensure the games are both engaging and calming.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, we\u2019re trying to reduce the anxiety of paediatric patients before they go in for their procedures,\u201d founder Paul Stapelberg said.<\/p>\n
Over in the Pacific Islands, gaming is being used to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCD) through a world-first health education program.<\/p>\n
NCDs are a major problem in the Pacific, linked to food insecurity and increased poverty while resulting in more than 70 per cent of deaths across the region.<\/p>\n
In partnership with DFAT and the Fijian Government, the initiative includes a virtual reality experience, a storybook and a mobile game designed to inspire healthy eating habits in children and families across the island countries.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ddd9f7d894029ab14a9e3759667600b88e3ef6b7.jpg\")
The virtual reality experience gives participants a vital experience of immersion. Credit: Instagram S1T2<\/p>\n
The results were promising: children were 14 per cent more likely to choose healthy foods and 78 per cent of teachers reported noticeable improvements in students\u2019 eating behaviours.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do with storytelling is create moments of meaning that help people understand themselves and the world around them,\u201d said Ayiana Merlo, a creative strategist at S1T2 who worked on the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe focus on immersion, agency and alterity, and games give us a really good way to explore all of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Video games are being used to help stroke patients recover as part of a groundbreaking new wave of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,2331,1853,6213,105],"class_list":["post-214926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-culture","tag-gaming","tag-society","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}