We often blame our diminishing attention span on the incessant barrage of notifications and screen time, but one video game company, Akili Interactive, has created a reality where the opposite is true. The Endeavor mobile game is the only video game authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a ADHD treatment for children in 2020. This week, the company announced that the FDA has extended its label includes older children and adolescents up to 17 years old, meaning all children ages 8 and older can get a prescription for the video game.
And while it doesn’t have the same official FDA clearance, there is also a non-compliant version of the game for adults.
But does it work? Adults are weighing in on this question – and examining the entertainment value of the game itself – on Reddit. One writer described EndeavorOTC as a “boring Mario Kart” it causes your mind to wander in a way that makes you “practice concentration and multitasking.”
Many patients still struggle to find treatment for ADHD as the United States continues to emerge from a difficult situation. shortage of medicines during pandemic potentially aggravated by increased demand for stimulants like Adderall. For people interested in seeking alternative treatments or complementary activities to improve their attention or concentration, trying a video game may be a reasonable next step.
How it works
EndeavorRX is a 25-minute mobile game intended to be played five times a week for four consecutive weeks. It aims to train or exercise your brain in a way that improves your concentration or attention through daily exercises.
Prescription version for children and adolescents
Endeavor says it uses “simultaneous sensory stimuli and motor challenges” that target the attention-focused parts of your brain. In the children’s prescription version, the goal of the game is to guide your character through obstacles while collecting targets. As your attention and performance improve, the game becomes a little more difficult. Parents can track their child’s progress in the game through EndeavourRx Insight, a companion app.
Before his clearance as treatment by the FDA, an experimental survey found that 73% of children reported improved attention while using EndeavorRX, compared to 50% of those who used the control.
To take a five-minute demo of EndeavourRX, you can download the app for iOS or Android and select the demo option.
Off-label version for adults
The adult version is the same concept as the children’s version but with an adult interface, according to Akili. This requires you to “target and navigate”, but it gives you a “focus score” instead of someone else monitoring your progress via the companion app. The concentration score measures how quickly and accurately you can complete a task despite distractions.
According to Akili, improvements in adults’ attention were significantly greater than in children when the game was tested and cleared by the FDA.
For “best results“, the company recommends a six-week period of playing the game, then a week’s break, followed by another six-week period.
How to get a prescription and how much it costs
A healthcare provider will write a prescription, then a specialty pharmacy will send you a code. EndeavorRX costs $99 for a 30-day prescription, and you can use your FSA or HSA dollars on it.
EndeavorOTC costs $25 per month, or $130 per year. This off-label version does not require a prescription.
Who could not be a good choice for an ADHD video game
As Reported ADDitudepeople with photosensitive epilepsy, color blindness, or certain physical limitations may not be able to use it.
But compared to the long list of side effects that can accompany ADHD medications, some of which are stimulants, video game side effects are, of course, much milder. Five percent of people in the EndeavorOTC trial reported a gaming-related side effect, most commonly nausea or headache, according to Akili.
