Behavioral Data Collection: How Gaming Might Help Study ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a neurological disorder that around 2.8% of the world population struggles with.

It is caused by a deficiency in neurotransmitters that affects chemicals like dopamine, resulting in impulsivity, attention deficit, hyperactivity, and difficulties with emotional regulation.

ADHD symptoms can appear as early as 3 to 6 years old and persist throughout one’s lifetime.

Extensive research on ADHD started less than two decades ago and hasn’t yet led to any significant breakthroughs.

Medical professionals believe that there are several underlying symptoms and indicators of ADHD that are still unidentified, and researchers need a lot of data to conduct a viable study.

Recently, several papers have poised gaming as an opportunity to advance ADHD research.

As the titles become more engaging and immersive, not just solely narrative-driven or focused on problem-solving, players demonstrate their ability to focus and show emotion while their gameplay style reflects their unique psychological traits.

Hence, these observations and collection of behavioral Big Data can provide critical insights for new ADHD studies, helping researchers get a better understanding of this disorder.

Gaming: A Source of Precious Data?

According to studies published in the Journal of Attention Disorders and European Child Psychiatry journal, observing individual behavior in gaming can generate essential data for ADHD diagnosis and identifying new symptoms.

While people with ADHD symptoms have difficulties focusing, some studies have shown that they find video games, especially action ones, appealing due to their fast-paced, interactive nature.

Through using wearables and brain-computer interfaces, researchers can match elements such as chosen strategy, reaction speed, and brain response with physical parameters like age and blood pressure to identify symptoms proactively.

Currently, a few titles are being designed to assess different aspects of ADHD, such as attention, impulse control, and working memory. For instance, the game ’Project: EVO’ was explicitly developed for tracking symptoms through players’ performance.

The FDA even recommends this game as a prescription for early-age ADHD.

Through this method, data can be collected in a less biased way. Traditional assessment methods, such as questionnaires and cognitive tests, rely on self-reporting, which can be less reliable.

Video games, on the contrary, can track and record the player's performance in real time, providing researchers with more accurate and objective data.

The fun and engaging nature of gaming can make the research process more enjoyable for participants. This is particularly important when working with children who may find traditional assessment methods boring and unengaging.

The Combination of AI and Gaming Can Be Revolutionary

The combination of human care and AI (artificial intelligence) analyses based on Big Data will help increase the accuracy of one’s treatment scenario, as it did with other disorders and illnesses, such as early knee osteoarthritis detection.

Gaming and AI can be used to develop personalized treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of individuals with ADHD.

By analyzing their behavior and cognitive patterns, AI algorithms can help clinicians identify areas needing improvement and develop customized treatment plans incorporating gaming activities to improve their focus and other cognitive abilities.

Framed as an enjoyable activity rather than a tedious test, video games provide a new and exciting way of studying ADHD. They offer a level of engagement and stimulation that traditional assessment methods lack, providing researchers with real-time and objective data.

With the development of more games specifically designed for this purpose, we expect to see a significant increase in the use of gaming as a tool for studying this disorder.