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Common PC Video Games Used To Treat Phobias

Posted by michael on from the fear-of-railguns dept.

NoData writes "Treating phobias with exposure therapy--gradually putting patients in fear-inducing situations, is a well-established method, even using virtual means, like VR simulators. However, now CNN is reporting on research that shows off-the-shelf PC video games can effectively treat phobias as well. Games like "Half-Life" were used to treat arachnophobia, and "Unreal Tournament" to treat acrophobia and claustrophobia."

4 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. There are some Phobias that are good to have... by OmnipotentEntity · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There are some Phobias that are good to have. Personally I like my "fear of being shot in the face"-aphobia. It helps me stay alive. Which probably explains why I don't like FPSes...

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    "Build a man a fire warm him for a day, set a man on fire and warm him for the rest of his life."
  2. So... by oGMo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So, what do they use to treat Luposlipaphobia?

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    Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

  3. Sounds good... by miketang16 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I use Counter-Strike to treat my anger management issues. =D People complain that video games increase violent tendencies... bs... blowing up people's head is just what I need to relax after a hard day...

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    "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
    -- George Orwell
  4. Worked for me. by Mr.+Flibble · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ok, this is a kind of a scary admission - especially for slashdot... Anyhow, here goes.

    When I was about 6, my Dad got a pirated copy of Aliens (video stores did not exist at that time) and he sat down to watch it. I wanted to watch it with him (mistake!!!)

    I had nightmares of the Alien, for years, and I always found it creepy - I hated even looking at H. R. Gigers Alien's. More recently, I picked up a copy of Alien vs. Predator - and I played through the entire game. It was difficult at first, but after getting used to killing Aliens (and being killed...) My fear went away. Irrational fear? Yes, but it was a fear I had none the less.

    On a separate note, my friend saw The Exorcist when he was about 6 too, and he had nightmares about it. Recently he got the DVD extended version, and forced himself to watch it about 20 times. The movie no longer bothers him either.

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    Try to hack my 31337 firewall!