Accessibility and interactivity: two reasons why video games are popular with young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In a study published in May 2023, researchers used interviews to explore how video games are experienced in the daily lives of eight young men (aged 18 and 35) with DMD who are keen video gamers. They found that video games :
- enable them to connect with other gamers and feel accepted as people above all ;
- help them to escape from their daily lives with the disease;
- offer a shared identity as ‘gamers’, regardless of physical ability;
- are a source of relaxation, helping to relieve the anxiety and stress associated with the disease.
The authors recommend that this activity should be promoted by recognising its important role in patients’ daily lives.
