Videogames are the work of the devil! Or at least that is what it seems like a lot of politicians and such would want you to believe. However, apparently they only filter in the bad stories that support their cause, because you never hear them trumping a story such as this, where videogames are being used to help one little girl suffering from hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

From the article:

In the latest bit of good news, game tech is helping a young Canadian girl deal with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. 6-year-old Megan Sherwin suffers from the neurological disorder which has rendered her left side partially paralyzed.

Without therapy, her left side could become weaker and underdeveloped as she favors her right. Simple tasks that most kids take for granted like getting dressed or putting toothpaste on a toothbrush could become exceedingly difficult. One way to encourage Megan to use her left side would be to put her right arm and hand in a cast for weeks at a time. Obviously, that’s no fun and there are also concerns that she might fall or lose her independence.

So what’s the alternative?

William Li, a third-year engineering science student at the University of Toronto, has developed a physical therapy game for kids like Megan. Using a Playstation 2 and a motion-detector camera (possibly a modified EyeToy?), the game places an image of the player on a T.V. screen. Players then use their weak hand for game control. Among the available games, Megan’s favorite is “Mr. Chef,” which asks players to perform various movements in order to assemble a meal. The movements are the same as those that palsy patients would be asked to make in therapy.

Read the full article over at gamepolitics.com