Re-Mission: violent video game with a positive outcome?

HopeLabs developed a video game designed for teenagers and young adults with cancer. In the game, players navigate within the human body — using violent video game tactics — to target cancer cells, infections, and side-effects of treatment.

http://www.hopelab.org/innovative-solutions/re-mission%E2%84%A2/

The game is touted as one of a number of uses of video game violence with positive outcomes, contrasted sharply to other concerns often heard in the media. Discussed in one article that was part of a 2010 American Psychological Association journal special edition on the effects of video game violence, Re-Mission was reported to have increased self-efficacy, treatment adherence, and knowledge of cancer by those who played the game.

http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/gpr-14-2-68.pdf (see p 77)

The APA special edition was overall quite critical of research that suggests an otherwise direct link between video game violence and real-world violence. A discussion of the special edition’s findings, and public links to all the articles in it, can be found here:

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/06/violent-video-games.aspx