Concussion education via video games could be no brainer
This article is written by Progressive Rugby
Education and awareness around brain injury (concussion) could be quickly enhanced by embedding interactive concussion recovery protocols into sport video games.
Researcher Isaac Lockett says with hundreds of millions playing Esports, with games like FIFA, Madden NFL and WWE 2K in households around the world; it’s an ideal opportunity to engage a willing audience.
The sports psychology graduate and keen gamer presents that licenced games refer to broken limbs, hamstrings and even stubbed toes but makes little to no reference to brain injuries, despite being an increasingly hot topic in sports, including football, rugby, cycling and NFL.
“Concussion is one of, if not the biggest challenge facing sport, and this is an incredible opportunity to educate a huge amount of people at pace through a medium that transcends culture in the majority of cases,” Isaac said.
“Gamers are also friends, parents, children and teammates, and if concussion education becomes embedded into video games, it enables it to become a more normalised conversation.
“It’s not about scaring people, it’s about educating them so that if they or someone they love do get concussed they know the next steps in making sure they are correctly cared for.”
In rugby, figures in the men’s game are dropping, and a recently disastrous announcement around a tackle height change in the amateur game saw many vows to turn their back on the game. Thankfully the RFU have vowed to now engage with the community game to address the situation.
In the elite game, hundreds of former professional players, including England RWC2003 winner Steve Thompson have launched a legal case against governing bodies saying they didn’t act to protect them against the dangers of developing neurological disease.
Isaac said: “It’s not about putting people off playing a contact sport; it’s about arming them with the knowledge of what they should do if someone were concussed.
“I believe education can be introduced at different levels. Firstly, if a player does get a potential head injury that it is acknowledged by commentators, and the player needs to be substituted. But this could only be the start; with evolutions potentially leading to an interactive element where gamers have to follow, and more importantly understand, correct protocol to get their star players back on then pitch, there could be a fast and hugely valuable transfer of knowledge.
“It would need to be carefully designed to ensure it’s not just a tick-box approach. If it is introduced, there is a need to generate conversations amongst the gamer community on how to get players back and ensure that the correct standard of care is introduced to players.
“The desired outcome is that concussion becomes a key injury like anything else. If a player pulls their hamstring, if they injure their knee, if they suffer a brain injury they come off – whether on the game or in real life.”
Isaac is interested in further progressing this idea and turning it into research focusing on how best to introduce concussion-related elements into video games and presenting the findings to the video game industry to aid the findings being integrated successfully.
“Concussion is one of, if not the biggest challenge facing sport, and this is an incredible opportunity to educate a huge amount of people at pace”