Using “Games” to Assess Early Stages of Dementia?

Apparently researchers and gamers are collaborating — on a “game” that could be used to “identify individuals who might have early and mild symptoms of dementia that medical test aren’t able to detect.”  The game, developed in Germany, and called Sea Hero Quest, reportedly uses virtual reality technology to have a “player” manipulate a virtual boat on a game board.  Players are “given a map and shown checkpoints, then the map is taken away and players must navigate to these checkpoints in the game world without the map.”  

Some of the data reported strike me as, hmmm, surprising.  I suspect this game might have greater validity if the players have established, previous skills in using the gaming tools, as well as interest or patience with the technology. There might also be some serious ethical questions for how the “game” is employed as a diagnostic tool.  For more details, read “A Video Game Developed to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Seems to Be Working.”