Video games are not only good for entertainment. For example, it appears that the VR game Sea Hero Quest can help detect Alzheimer’s earlier.
What is Sea Hero Quest? In the VR game, you steer a boat through a kind of labyrinth. You must always find the fastest and most effective route to the goal. At the beginning, you are shown a map with checkpoints that you then have to navigate from memory.
Sea Hero Quest is developed by several universities, the studio Glitchers, and Deutsche Telekom.
A game that helps detect Alzheimer’s
How does the game help with Alzheimer’s detection? Individuals carrying the APOE4 gene, which increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, perform much worse in the game than those who do not have the gene.
Those at risk of Alzheimer’s tend to take a significantly less effective route with the boat, according to scientists.
The game thus identifies individuals who may not yet show the common symptoms of Alzheimer’s but apparently belong to the risk group. Those who perform poorly in the game may belong to the risk group.
How do the developers and researchers know it helps? The game was released in 2016 and has been downloaded 4.3 million times by individuals from over 190 countries.
According to scientists, the game is designed such that about 2 minutes of gameplay corresponds to five hours of laboratory examinations. Therefore, the team has now collected data equivalent to 17,600 years of research.
How can you play Sea Hero Quest? You need an Android smartphone or an iPhone as well as a VR headset. You can simply download the game from the respective app store.
The title is also available for download on the Oculus Rift VR headset.
Early detection is important
What do the researchers hope for? The team behind the game hopes to detect Alzheimer’s earlier. Because when memory problems occur, the disease is often already far advanced.
If Alzheimer’s can be detected in an early stage, other therapies are possible which may help mitigate the worst symptoms in later stages.
What do users think? Overall, the idea is received positively, as games are seen in a different light. It’s not always just about “fighting”; you can also do good with players.
rydamusprime17 mentions on Reddit: “I love hearing about the healing possibilities that video games offer. People always only see the negative…”
