Video Games as a Supportive Tool in the Therapeutic Process

This study, by Marcin Mateusz Granat, examines whether video games can support the treatment of diseases with rising morbidity rates. Drawing on a literature search of major scientific databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE and IEEE Xplore) covering publications from 1988 to 2020, the author identified six conditions meeting both criteria: stroke, cerebral palsy, childhood amblyopia, pediatric brain tumor, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Only experiments with control groups were considered, and about ten percent of the information came from supplementary sources such as Google searches.

In post-stroke rehabilitation, video games showed benefits for upper limb motor function, static balance, and reduced fear of falling. One study of 20 stroke patients using Xbox Kinect found statistically significant gains in mobility compared with standard therapy, while a competitive two-player mode was associated with higher exercise intensity and lower stress than single-player play. In pediatric care, a trial of 20 children with cerebral palsy showed significant improvement on the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test in the intervention group, and a study of children with amblyopia reported visual acuity gains over 20 hours of play, faster than the reference patching approach. Video games also reduced preoperative anxiety during anaesthesia induction compared with both no intervention and midazolam sedation.

In mental health, a study of trauma-exposed participants found that those who played Tetris had the fewest flashbacks over one week, and a trial of depressed patients reported lower rumination and higher subjective cognition after six weeks of playing an action game.

The author concludes that video games are a promising adjunct therapy, with competitive modes appearing most effective for rehabilitation. The study acknowledges significant limitations, including small sample sizes, inconsistent results across different mobility tests, possible novelty effects on motivation, nausea associated with virtual reality, and the practical difficulty of blinding participants in randomized trials.