For the first time, US doctors can prescribe a video game. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved EndeavorRX as an effective treatment for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD
– quoted from "The FDA Just Approved The First Prescription Video Game For Kids With ADHD" by David Nield in Science Alert.
The Games Institute recognizes that this marks an important milestone for games research, particularly in the health and wellness. This news spread quickly in our community Discord and Slack channels, discussed by our ecosystem of interdisciplinary researchers.
For Dr. John Muñoz, FDA approval of a prescription video game is promising for his own research with the Intelligent Technologies for Wellness and Independent Living (ITWIL) Lab, directed by Dr. Jen Boger. With the ITWIL Lab, Muñoz develops Virtual Reality (VR) Exercise Games (Exergames) for people with dementia.
“When I heard that the FDA is allowing doctors to prescribe a video game for ADHD, it made me feel inspired and hopeful about the future of games for health. This is clearly a remarkable step towards facilitating a widespread and controlled use of these tools, too,” says Muñoz.