Video Game Therapy
History: The history of video games in therapeutic settings dates back to the early 1970s, before it was officially established as a therapeutic method. Mainly used as a distraction for patients to induce mood changes, it is now recognized as a legitimate method of therapy to treat multiple types of mental health conditions in all ages, as video games’ popularity continues to rise.
Which game is the best to help me?
Although Video games are seen as just a form of entertainment, they can also be transformed to be valuable tools in the treatment of mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and ADHD.
Some of the video games that have been proven helpful towards better mental health include:
Brain Age: Used to improve cognitive function
Tetris: Has been used to help PTSD patients and is used for engagement
Virtual reality scenario: Used to improve social skills, and is helpful for exposure therapy
The Legend of Zelda: Used to improve problem-solving and memory
Did you know?
Virtual reality scenarios in video game therapy can be used to overcome phobias in a controlled and safe environment.
How do we know this works?
Through studies and data analysis, researchers have found that the use of certain video games in cognitive rehabilitation has proven to have lasting impacts seen in everyday life, through person-to-person interactions, critical thinking skills, and decision-making.
From the National Library of Medicine, an article written by Francesco Bocci states that “intensive training with action video games can improve the recovery of the right hippocampus”. This region of the brain is crucial for memory storage and retrieval and is often associated with cognitive deterioration. Findings such as these were then used by researchers and game developers to engineer other video games in hopes of helping patients facing cognitive damage. An example of this is the game, “Mind The City!”, to engage spatial memory.
Additionally, certain video games such as VR ( virtual reality ) can be extremely helpful in improve social skills such as verbal and nonverbal communication, active listening, conflict resolution, politeness, and self-regulation. This form a video game therapy allows the patient to be fully immersed and engaged into a real life scenario to work on these skills while maintaing a safe enviroment around them in reality.
Work Cited
Bocci, Francesco, et al. “Putting the Gaming Experience at the Center of the Therapy—The Video Game Therapy® Approach - PMC.” Healthcare, vol. 11, no. 12, https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121767. Accessed 15 July 2025.
Ceranoglu, T. Atilla. “Video Games in Psychotherapy.” Review of General Psychology, vol. 14, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 141–46, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019439.
Reid, Michelle. “Video Games and Therapy 🎮 The Therapeutic Power of Gaming.” UserWay Blog, 3 Dec. 2023, https://userway.org/blog/video-games-and-therapy/.
video game counseling. “From Virtual Worlds To Real Healing: The Benefits Of Video Game Therapy.” Video Game Counseling, https://videogamecounseling.com/from-virtual-worlds-to-real-healing-the-benefits-of-video-game-therapy/. Accessed 15 July 2025.
