Nintendo’s Wii Game Used In Stroke Rehab
From www.tylerpaper.com:
MINNEAPOLIS — Physical rehab can be a major pain, but it’s all a game to Jerry Pope.
The 77-year-old semipro tennis player suffered a debilitating stroke in June and is using a hot new video game system to help him get back onto the real court. He’s one of several patients using the Nintendo Wii as part of an innovative program at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Minneapolis’ Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
“I’m not a video game player,” Pope admitted during a recent rehab session at the hospital. “This is the only one I’ve ever played.”
Gripping the Wii’s unique motion-sensing wireless controller in his right fist, Pope swung his arm as if hitting a real tennis ball. The character onscreen responded by hitting the ball to a computer-controlled player in the virtual tennis game. Pope swung his arm each time the ball returned, and his Wii avatar responded in kind.
“Because of the interaction of the game, I get the physical sensation of playing tennis,” Pope explained later. “It really works. It can fool me into thinking that I’m doing what’s happening on the screen.”
Pope has been playing tennis for 60 years. His prowess on the senior circuit earned him induction into the U.S. Tennis Association’s Northern Hall of Fame in 1999. He was in Indianapolis for a national tournament when the stroke hit June 1. He was hospitalized there for 13 days before being moved to the Twin Cities for a 10-day hospital stay. READ MORE…
Gamers Go for Maximum Geek Fun at Penny Arcade Expo 2007
From Wired Magazine:
Gamer geeks from across the nation packed into the Washington State Convention and Trade Center for Penny Arcade Expo 2007 over the weekend. With the death of the E3 trade show, PAX has become the country’s largest gaming convention, nearly tripling in size from last year, with 40,000 people attending between Aug. 24 and 26.
Show organizers were bowled over by the attendance figures, but handled the boom in stride, presenting a weekend packed full of surprise celebrity guests from the world of gaming, tournaments with cash prizes and, most importantly, a chance for like-minded gamers to get together and try out the latest games.
The game rooms at PAX stay full late into the evening. Banks of PCs and monitors, set up by Intel, line a massive room opposite the exhibit halls. Players test their skills at Counter-Strike against all comers, with thousands bringing their own PCs to the event.