A review of past studies published in early 2022 (Opens in a new tab), looked at real and measurable benefits after the experimental use of video games as a tool for keeping patients being treated for depressive disorders engaged in and more receptive to psychotherapy. "Mike threw a couple studies my way, and as I dug deeper and deeper, I like 'Oh my god!'" Research is indeed promising. But in the end, it was the science that convinced him. So when Wilson shared the ideas that would eventually become the foundation of DeepWell, the response from Douglas, who was looking forward to some relaxation, was skepticism. If anything, we were really just trying to settle down and play tennis," Douglas said. We were both very satisfied with the outcomes of our careers and our lives. "I think Mike and I were kind of uniquely suited to do this because we didn't have to. 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II' continues the franchise's long history of courting controversy But what we had in common was we had come up with faster, lighter ways to navigate an industry that was increasingly bloated and stodgy and slow-moving," Wilson said.Īt first, though, Douglas needed some convincing. "Ryan and I honestly couldn't be more different. By contrast, Wilson's company had been a smaller and scrappier operation, but it had gained global reach, and his time there had left him with the contacts needed to open doors in the world of gaming. Douglas knows about building big companies and navigating the federal government's bureaucratic systems. His project ended up falling apart amid the 2020 pandemic, but he and Douglas both realized in the midst of their budding friendship that, perhaps, there was something they could build together. "Ryan was like a last minute tag-in, which was great because he actually lived ," Wilson explained. Douglas, who was writing a book at the time with Wilson's would-be partner in the new endeavor, ended up stepping in on his co-writer's behalf for what turned out to be a momentous meeting.
Wilson, who left Devolver in 2020, had designs on building an immersive art experience "completely away from digital" as his next move. It was business that brought them together initially, and unexpectedly. We don't have to do any business together." If you just want to walk around and cry, I'm your guy. I've never lost my wife, but I've lost my best friend and I've lost my sister and I've lost my dad. Wilson recalled an early conversation where he laid it all out for his future DeepWell partner: "I understand where you're at. The two men, who were also both eyeing retirement after making their successful careers on the business side of uniquely creative fields, quickly bonded. "He had lost his wife after a long and he was in a fragile spot," Wilson said. And that massive life change unfolded as he processed a much more personal layer of grief. Douglas was in the midst of a looming exit from Nextern, the medical devices company where he'd spent 15 years as president, CEO, and co-chairman. "When I met Ryan, he was grieving," Wilson said. 'God of War Ragnarok' is worth sticking with after the credits roll But it's perhaps fitting that their idea is one born out of mutual empathy. Wilson, a founding father of the irreverent indie game publishing label Devolver Digital, is teamed up here with Ryan Douglas, an accomplished inventor of medical technologies and former executive in the medtech space - two vastly different backgrounds. "It's not just about the games we make reframing people's viewpoint on the games they already love." "For everybody involved, what keeps bringing us all back is the purpose, the mission, and how big this could be," DeepWell co-founder Mike Wilson said. Securing approvals is a lengthy and expensive process, but successfully navigating that process is what could turn DeepWell's goal to deliver and set the standard for "medicinal entertainment" into reality. It's also, even more crucially, a regulatory services provider.Įvery prescribed treatment and every over-the-counter medication in the United States is subject to regulatory approval by the Food & Drug Administration. It's a development and publishing business that will build therapeutic games in-house and help its development partners do the same. The company, which is still in its very early days, is a few things at once. It's a future that DeepWell DTx is on a mission to secure. But can you dare to imagine a future where gaming is just what the doctor literally ordered?
0 kommentar(er)
