Therapist Perspectives: Wii Active Videogames Use in Inpatient Settings with People Who Have Had a Brain Injury

Brain injuries (BIs) are a major public health issue. Clinical experience and literature have identified that it is often challenging to motivate people who have had a BI to engage in repetitive exercises commonly prescribed for rehabilitation. As a result, some therapists include commercial active videogames (AVGs) in their therapy sessions to help make repetitive actions fun and engaging. In this project, we explored how the therapists used commercial AVGs to better understand the major barriers and enablers of use.

We interviewed 17 therapists from two rehabilitation hospitals who work with people who have had a BI. After the interviews were transcribed, we identified salient themes.

At the time of the interviews, therapists were using only the Nintendo(®) (Kyoto, Japan) Wii™ console. Common therapeutic goals included balance and weight shifting. Several patient factors, such as cognitive and physical abilities, age, and previous gaming experience, were considered important considerations when deciding to use games. Therapists also indicated many desired changes to games, including better control/interface, better feedback, and the ability to adjust timing, challenge, and stimulation levels.

When considering therapy-centered game design, the needs of both therapists and patients should be considered. There is a necessary balance to consider in game design: They need to (a) be perceived as fun, (b) meet therapy goals, and (c) address therapists' needs (e.g., adjustability to address a range of patient abilities). Additionally, there is a need for a wide variety of available games to address novelty and personal preferences.