Study finds games take the pain away

According to a study conducted at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, playing certain types of video games can reduce the experience of pain. The findings of the "Effects of Video Game Play Types on Pain Threshold and Tolerance" study suggest that sports and fighting games most effectively distract patients from physical pain.

Additionally, the study found that sports games elicited the most anger from players, while a boxing game generating the greatest physical response. Both arcade and boxing games were found to be the most frustrating. The study concluded that video games could be used to distract patients undergoing painful procedures that do not call for anesthesia. Video games could also be used in waiting rooms to reduce patients' anxieties.