It's not a new skin condition, but it has a new cause: playing video games. Some Swiss doctors diagnosed a young girl with “ideopathic eccrine hidradenitis†- a skin disorder associated with sweaty hands and feet. The little gamer was playing video games for a few hours everyday when her hands began to exhibit these red sores. The cure? Ten days with no gaming.
Implications - The growing variety of video and computer games available to children has resulted in a drastic decrease in outdoor and physical activity as of late. The debate over whether time spent indoors or staring at a screen is a highly controversial and continuous one in the public sphere. Companies or causes with a vested interest in decreasing time spent gaming can draw upon rare and exceptional cases that are shocking and unusual to get the point across.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Decreased Outdoor Activity
- Promoting outdoor activities to counteract the decline in physical activity due to increased video game consumption.
- Negative Health Effects
- Highlighting the potential health risks associated with excessive video game playing to raise awareness and encourage moderation.
- New Medical Diagnoses
- Exploring the emergence of video game-related skin disorders as a new area of medical research and treatment.
Where This Applies
- Video Game Industry
- Developing innovative gaming solutions that incorporate physical activity to promote a healthy balance between gaming and outdoor pursuits.
- Outdoor Recreation
- Creating experiences and products that entice children to engage in outdoor activities, offering an alternative to video games.
- Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
- Investigating potential treatments and preventive measures for video game-related health conditions, such as skin disorders.
