Display technology specialist BenQ has been supporting gaming charity, TheRockinR, by donating 30 monitors for its gaming carts, which are being installed in UK hospitals to support children and young adults as they undergo treatments and procedures during lockdown.
Ten of the carts have already been installed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool (pictured), Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Poole Hospital (Dorset) and Hereford County Hospital, with the remaining set to be installed over the coming months.
The charity was set up by Jonny and Carol Miree, who lost their 11-year old son, Reece, in March 2018. During their son’s hospital visits they identified there were many specific ways in which interactive gaming could help patients. By offering a distraction from treatments and procedures, the charity aims to promote well-being and social interaction through gaming and communication.
“We are extremely grateful to BenQ for their generous donation. With four hospitals across the UK already benefiting from their new Gaming Carts, we continue to see the positive impact that this access gives to children in hospitals,” said Jonny Miree. “Lockdown measures put huge restrictions on visiting times and access, so the carts are providing extra entertainment and comfort to those who aren’t seeing family regularly.”
The Gaming Carts are designed for medical environments and come with gaming consoles, wireless controllers, age-appropriate internet access and film sites such as Netflix to be accessed safely. “Gaming was the one thing Reece continued to enjoy throughout his time in hospital and giving other people access to that 24-hour community really helps with those feelings of loneliness, anxiety and isolation that are so commonly experienced in hospitals – now more than ever,” Miree added.
Feedback from parents, clinicians, staff and patients show that the gaming carts have an overwhelmingly positive impact and allow young people to alleviate the constraints and anxieties that are often associated with the hospital environment.
Richard Mackey, marketing executive from BenQ, said, “At BenQ we have a very active role within the gaming industry, so when we heard about TheRockinR we knew we had to support this brilliant charity. The impact 30 monitors have made has been astronomical. We hear from Jonny that the carts enable multiple children or families to gather round to play, watch and interact with one another. It’s a huge honour to see the carts give so much enjoyment and normality into what many of us may never comprehend.”
