Can a handheld gaming device be used as an effective assistive technology tool?

The second-generation Nintendo DS Lite was launched in Europe during June 2006. The system combines dual screen action with touch screen interaction provided by a stylus in addition to handheld controls. The device includes wireless technology and PictoChat software, allowing users to send messages and drawings to each other. Nintendo’s Touch! Generations series of games for the DS has sparked global interest. with Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training selling more than 700 000 copies in Europe, the majority to people over 25 years old. (Nintendo, 2006). Dr Kawashima’s research suggests getting into the habit of training your brain can help to keep it fit, and the package includes a series of challenges that include reading aloud and mental arithmetic. Another Touch! Generations title scheduled to launch in October 2006 is an English training package with a press release stating it is perfect for anyone who has not the time, money or self-confidence to take a course (Gamespot, 2006). Having played Trauma Center—a game where you become a doctor and perform operations—the compelling gaming experience also demonstrates the potential of how academic educational health software packages could be produced and used with great success in this format. The immersive environment puts you under time constraints in a high-pressure situation, and you have to remember sequences and techniques from previous operations to utilise in future scenarios—though operations can be retried to improve technique and be used as an aide memoir. Learning in an environment similar to this virtual one (even though there are no traditional educational learning outcomes to achieve with Trauma Center) could have huge benefits compared to traditional methods of teaching, thus creating a portable deeper learning experience (Biggs, 2003).