Personal stories within virtual environments: creating three experiences in cancer information software

Virtual environments can create a relaxed mood, increasing a patient's receptivity to learning. Personal stories and an individual approach to the content, rather than abstract facts, make the CD-generated experience vivid and informative. With the user in control, selecting content and interacting constantly with the program, the virtual experience is more meaningful than the one created by simply retrieving information. This chapter explains how three CD-ROMs containing cancer information--Breast Cancer Lighthouse, Easing Cancer Pain and Cancer Prevention Park--embody personal stories and medical information in virtual environments.