#YOUTH FIND ESCAPE VIDEO GAME SERIES#

Giles Le Blanc applied for the donation, which was administered through Fully Loaded Electronics.

#YOUTH FIND ESCAPE VIDEO GAME SERIES#

The therapeutic gaming program recently received a donation of eight Xbox Series S systems - preloaded with games - from a non-profit called Games for Love. “Minecraft Dungeons” is a favorite among OHSU Doernbecher patients, and Giles Le Blanc likes introducing patients to one of his personal favorites, a cooking simulation game called “Overcooked! 2.” “There comes a moment where a digital adventure would be helpful.” “If something happens to you and you’re going to be stuck in a bed for a few months, you start rethinking your relationship with video games,” Giles Le Blanc said. He finds that the program is beneficial for kids who are new to video games as well, and makes sure to offer plenty of multiplayer, cooperative games with a very low bar to entry. “Video games provide an escape from things going on around them, but it’s also a way for kids to connect with their friends outside of the hospital - and when your life is turned upside down due to an illness or injury, that’s a really big deal.” “Gaming can really make young people feel at home in a way that not much else can,” Giles Le Blank said. Many of the patients who Giles Le Blanc visits are already video game enthusiasts, and they welcome the opportunity to browse the video game library and play a favorite game or try something new, often with a family member or Giles Le Blanc playing right alongside them. “Offering an activity that will engage a child who’s in the hospital helps to increase their coping and overall aids in their social emotional health.”

“The therapeutic gaming program provides an extra layer of support for patients and families here at Doernbecher,” said Rebekah Coles, manager of OHSU Doernbecher’s Child Life Therapy Program. They understand that sick and injured children still need to have fun and play in the hospital, and video games can provide some of that sense of normalcy.

That employee is Sam Giles Le Blanc, OHSU Doernbecher’s patient technology specialist - though he usually introduces himself as “the video game guy.” Giles Le Blanc manages the therapeutic gaming program, a new addition to the hospital’s Child Life Therapy Program.Ĭhild Life therapy focuses on the emotional, social and developmental needs of kids, helping patients and their families cope with being in the hospital through play, education and creative activities.

Youth find escape video game