An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works. Torrentz domain names are for sale. Send an offer to contactinventoris. Teenagers Charity Brings VR To Sick Kids And The Elderly. If youre reading this article on this site, youre probably interested in video games, which means youre probably a gamer. And youre probably into video games because gaming brings you joy. Well, one Sacramento based nonprofit organization, Gamers Gift, is working to bring the joy of VR games to people who might not have access to it, such as elderly people in nursing homes or sick children in hospitals. Dillon Hill, an 1. University of California Davis, started the nonprofit while he was still in high school. He says that when he was younger, he used to volunteer in food kitchens or at hospitals, but often, these tasks were unrewarding as he didnt get to interact with the community he was trying to serve. I was very frustrated by the lack of hands on volunteering for young people, Dillon explained to Kotaku. It was very monitored, and you dont really get to directly interact with the community that youre trying to help. Dillon, a gamer himself, was also frustrated by how his peers and family members viewed video games as a waste of time or a lazy thing to do. But the defining experiences that led him to start the nonprofit were with his friend, Chris, who was diagnosed with leukemia when they were in the fifth grade. For the first couple of weeks as he was going through that, I would try to make as many visits as possible, but it was always really hard, Dillon said. It was miserable. It was tough to make those visits. One day, when he was on his way to the hospital with Chris dad, they decided to bring a Playstation 2 as a means of cheering Chris up and help him regain a sense of normalcy. Dillon and Chris began to spend long hours at the hospital, playing video games. We didnt have to worry about when his next shot was coming or the nausea that he was feeling, or any of the typical things you have to deal with, Dillon said. We were completely immersed in that world, and we could very much distract ourselves from what was happening. Video games would continue to be helpful to Dillon and his friend in the future, as they both went through darker times. In their sophomore year of high school, Chris sister took her own life. Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' title='Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' />Once again, video games provided a welcome way to cope. Dillon and Chris would spend time playing games together as a way of coping with the tragic event. We always got to distract ourselves and give a distraction when we try to talk, but basically those video games, we were so focused on working together and it brought us closer, Dillon said, which enabled us to really communicate and kind of talk about how we were feeling as we were going through that. In October 2. Dillon and Chris were chatting about their ideas for a gaming based charity. They decided to go for it, spending hours on Google learning how to start and manage a nonprofit. In February 2. 01. Gamers Gift officially launched, though they had no money. Dillon said they would take cake pops and sell them door to door to raise money. They ended up buying Beatles Rock Band and tried to head to a childrens hospital. Because they were all underage at the time, they could not go into childrens hospitals. Instead, they decided to visit nursing homes. Dillon admits that their first nursing home visit was a somewhat rough experience. We learned a lot and we did build relationships, and we learned that its very hard to introduce technology like that to the elderly, Dillon said, and we learned some strategies on how to do that better. Despite the challenges they encountered at their first event, ultimately they felt like it was successful, and they and they knew it was something they wanted to keep doing. Rock Band was for starters, but Dillons charity now focuses on virtual reality experiences. The idea is to let people undertake experiences that able bodied, healthy people generally take for granted. Dillon said the elderly people he serves frequently want to go back to what they used to be able to do, such as scuba diving or skiing, whereas sick children want to experience everyday life outside of hospital walls. A lot of the times in childrens hospitals they just want to be store clerks in Job Simulator, and they just want to be normal, he said, referring to the comedic workplace VR game. So different specific applications depending on where were going, but the general idea is escape and opportunity. VR also has the benefit of not having complicated controls, or a large learners gap. We couldnt bring a keyboard and mouse to an elderly home because thats a very hard concept to understand, but with something like the HTC Vive, its much easier, Dillon explained. Its simple grabbing mechanics. As soon as the player puts on the headset, they can experience something new, and escape reality. FaQYWEHJS8/TdT9CTfCpPI/AAAAAAAAA4c/1aKQT8ngmuM/s1600/The-Future-of-Strategy-Games-Looking-Forward-At-Game-of-Thrones-Genesis-Stronghold-3-And-More.jpg' alt='Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' title='Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' />Car makers love giving their wares nothing names that still sound important. Todays Nice Price or Crack Pipe Integra is a prime example. Lets see if its. Look, guys. This falls offering of books is huge. Huge. Were not even going to suggest reading all of these, unless you yourself are some kind of alien or. Still, patients and caregivers at hospitals and nursing homes were skeptical when they first learned about Gamers Gift and what it attempts to do with VR. VR hasnt sold well enough to be widely popular and familiar. For those who arent well versed in tech, Dillon says that understanding VR and what it does can be confusing. Explaining it to them is really difficult, and they dont understand it until they try it, he said, but once they try it, theyre excited to be able to have these opportunities and these experiences. Dominic Papa is someone who has benefitted from Gamers Gift and using VR. He uses a wheelchair, and communicates through gestures and body language, since he cant talk. His aunt, Theresa Thorpe, and one of his caregivers, Abri Proctor Carpenter, helped facilitate my interview with him. Papa lives independently, with the guidance of professional caregivers. Four days a week, he volunteers at the Citrus Heights Police Department, visiting malls and watching for shoplifters and suspicious passerby. His aunt read an article in the Sacramento Bee about Gamers Gift and was interested in having her nephew try out one of the systems. She reached out to them to figure out what to buy. But Gamers Gift insisted on helping her and Papa, and first visited him this past spring. The volunteers helped Papa try on different headgear sets to see which one would fit best, and selected VR experiences that didnt require controllers, which Papa cant use. Proctor Carpenter was surprised at how organized the volunteers were. I just felt like for just for it to be some community service they were pretty well presented in what they were doing, she said. For some college kids who came together and said this is what we want to do, they were actually pretty professional. Papa expressed that he was nervous at first to try VR. But once he got into it, he loved it. He tried several different experiences in outer space, underwater, and even walking with dinosaurs. The one where he drove a racecar was a favorite. Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' title='Crack Game Of Thrones Genesis Victor Valley Hospital' />Gamers Gift later donated the VR equipment so that Papa could use it whenever he wanted. Thorpe said that the experience opened her eyes to how technology could be used positively. Im of a generation where technology doesnt come easy, she said. From my observations, Ive noticed that for many people who get involved with technology it becomes an addiction. In other words I see that they lose some balance in their life. And Dillon and the volunteers, they just have such perfect balance in their lives between the technology, the people, the helping, and the school. Search or upload videos. Popular on YouTube Music, Sports, Gaming, Movies, TV Shows, News, Spotlight. Browse Channels. Archives and past articles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly. Tiffany Tatum Sheer Bodysuit Naughty selfies are the name of the game for Tiffany Tatum. This horny teen is rocking a sheer teddy that clings to her curves and. If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been violated, Contact Us On gamestorrentodeletegmail. Windows Media Player 12 License Locations on this page. And The Post Will Be Immediatly Deleted in 15.