Added: 03.03.2015 17:00 | 4 views | 0 comments

Around 9 million people in the United States are affected by Amblyopia, making it the number one cause of monocular blindness, according to representatives from Amblyotech. For the past two hundred years, one of the leading treatments for children affected with Amblyopia was to have them wear an eyepatch over their strong eye to stimulate better vision in the weaker one.

However, this form of "patching" therapy is not ideal, according to Ubisoft and Amblyotech.

“While current treatments options, such as eye patching, provide limited relief and have poor patient compliance due to discomfort and social stigmas, the Amblyotech-patented electronic therapy has been tested clinically to significantly increase the visual acuity of both children and adults who suffer from this condition without the use of an eye patch," Amblyotech CEO Joseph Koziak said. "With our agreement with Ubisoft, we are further able to provide physicians with a complete and accurate picture of treatment compliance to help them monitor patient progress throughout therapy."

For its part, Ubisoft senior producer Mathie Ferland called Dig Rush--in development at Ubisoft Montreal--a "breakthrough novel medical treatment" for Amblyopia.

Dig Rush, a basic side-scrolling game, utilizes both eyes to train the brain in an effort to improve visual acuity. This is done by utilizing different contrast levels of red and blue seen through stereoscopic glasses that the player wears. The game itself, played on a tablet, can automatically adjust to a person's specific eye condition. The game also naturally adapts later on as visual acuity improves.

Another issue with the patching treatment for Amblyopia, developers said, is that patients are prone to relapse after the therapy has ended. But all signs are positive so far for Dig Rush as an alternative. About 90 percent of patients have seen improvements during early testing, measuring better visual acuity just 4-6 weeks later after they started played the game.

Developers noted that the patching method is only successful about 25 percent of the time.

Amblyotech is now seeking FDA approval for Dig Rush and hopes to offer the game later this year. But you won't be able to head to iTunes and simply download the game. It will be available only through a physician's prescription. Amblyotech representatives said they see Dig Rush as a drug just like any other. It's the "next generation of a syringe," they said.

Tablets will come pre-loaded with Dig Rush and patients are asked to play about an hour per day for 4-6 weeks to see lasting results. Data from the game is measured in real time and sent to a doctor to ensure patients are following their prescription. After all, a drug only works if you take it in the proper dosage.

So how did Dig Rush come to be? Ferland recalled visiting a "hacking" event in Montreal and, by chance, he heard about about McGill researcher Dr. Robert Hess' attempts to treat Amblyopia with video games using Amblyotech's app. He approached Hess and Amblyotech about a potential partnership, and the companies have been working together since.

Amblyotech's early prototype for its game was quite rudimentary and not very fun to play, the company admitted. But after all, they aren't game designers. That's why the company jumped at the opportunity to work with Ubisoft on the project.

Of course, Ubisoft's work on Dig Rush doesn't mean they'll stop making Assassin's Creed or Far Cry games anytime soon. What do you make of Ubisoft's new moves? Let us know in the comments below!

Added: 03.03.2015 8:09 | 17 views | 0 comments


The annual Game Developers Conference is about to begin. The event takes place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on March 2 6 (with the expo being planned for March 4 6), and is, according the the official site, the worlds largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event.

Added: 02.03.2015 20:44 | 18 views | 0 comments

The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is happening right now, but just in case you can't make it to the show, we'll be streaming a few panels live right here on GameSpot. You can check out our full schedule and details below, or for more coverage, check out , we sought to develop an engine that would last us just as long as the Halo engine had. This talk will cover the six-year development arc of the Destiny engine, from inception to ship.