Super Mario. Minecraft. Madden NFL. Fortnite. For 50 years, video games like these have kept teens mesmerized and—all too often—on the couch. That's changing thanks to a new program from the Emory University Department of Orthopaedics called GIVES (Georgia Initiative for Virtual Reality in Education and Sports). GIVES takes VR technology into local schools, providing young athletes with training and assessment tools just like the pros use. These athletes are having fun while also improving their sports performance and reducing their injury risk.
GIVES has been catching fire since it launched in January 2024. That’s when the Emory Sports Performance And Research Center ,located inside the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center in Flowery Branch,started offering it to football and soccer teams at seven Hall County high schools. Now, students can also use the technology during the school day as part of the curriculum. Think of it as a modern-day gym class. Instead of running the 50-yard dash outside, students play interactive video games that build their fitness level and provide useful information about the risk for future injuries.
"We expected the VR gaming program to be popular with youth athletes, but its popularity among non-athletes really surprised us," says Greg Myer, PhD, a professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory School of Medicine and director of the Emory Sports Performance And Research Center. "We plan to expand the program to other schools in every Georgia county. Our goal is to help athletes in many sports improve their performance and reduce their injury risk while also creating more opportunities for other students to participate."
