US – A new iOS game called EndeavourRX is the first of its kind to be authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical prescription.
After having undergone several years of clinical studies to test its effectiveness, the game can be prescribed to children aged between eight and 12 years old with ADHD. Featuring obstacle-dodging challenges and target-collecting, EndeavourRX has been shown to improve cognitive functions.
According to the studies – tested on 600 children – one third of children were found to no longer have measurable attention deficit after a four-week period of playing the game for five days each week. ‘Improvements in ADHD impairments following a month of treatment with EndeavorRx were maintained for up to a month,’ says EndeavourRX’s developer Akili Interactive.
While gaming has been criticised for actually exacerbating attention deficit disorders and mental health issues, its potential to support people’s mental health is slowly becoming more apparent.