The Right Spin

HOPE stands for Hospitalized Online Pediatric Environment. What they are is a group of doctors who believe that access to online gaming can help improve the quality of life of hospitalized children. For example, kids who need to be hooked up to a dialysis machine multiple times every week might benefit from being able to play games during the procedure. It will keep them occupied and they might even ask for less pain medication. The doctors behind this are currently working on gathering the hard data needed to support their idea.

Taken from their mission statement:

HOPE gives chronically ill children the opportunity to escape stresses inherent in their conditions by providing distraction through gaming and comfort via peer contact. Through our virtual world we are able to ameliorate depression, reduce perceived pain, and improve the quality of our patients’ lives.

You can learn more about this great cause at their homepage.