Psychotherapy through video games: is it effective?

Videogames is a sector in constant development and with almost infinite future possibilities. While in the beginning, video games consisted of simple codes that executed very simple commands, in Today the level of recreation of reality is impressive and, nevertheless, it continues to evolve in steps gigantic.

If we add to this factor the marketing and increasingly massive development of Virtual Reality products, we have a really interesting cocktail to start producing. video games dedicated exclusively to a therapeutic practice or, at least, to use the existing means to carry out some types of therapy under the supervision of a professional duly trained in the field.

The therapeutic potential of the video game

In a previous article We were talking about the educational use that a genre of videogames, with great projection, called sandbox could have. This genre in particular has great qualities to be used, also, as a tool to carry out different types of therapies, such as cognitive rehabilitation therapies.

The key element that this genre of video games has is freedom of action within a world that, in general, simulates the real world. This element is enhanced its action if we also add functionalities of social game that, for the The mere fact of promoting the social relationship, already supposes in itself a therapeutic element, as we saw on a previous article in which we analyzed the therapeutic possibilities of Pokemon go.

The power of virtual worlds in video games

The human mind is capable of amazing feats, and among all of them, the ability to establish emotional and intellectual connections with virtual worlds opens the possibility of carrying out a myriad of therapeutic practices that would not be possible if the video game industry was not at the point where it was find.

The capacity for empathy that we possess as humans allows us to enter the virtual worlds that videogames offer at a very high level, especially if we add the novel Virtual Reality techniques that greatly enhance the immersion of the player in the video game, making the sensation of being inside it surprising. This opens up a new avenue of possibilities for psychotherapy, allowing the user to enter a world in which We establish the desired parameters so that your experience is enriching and therapeutic, depending on the contexts.

As an example of this, more and more experiments are being carried out on this topic, and the results in the vast majority of studies show great potential for video games in therapy methodology.

Some examples of video games with therapeutic potential

A good example of this type of study is the one carried out by Llorens et al. (2015), in which they performed group therapy based on video games in individuals who suffered some type of traumatic brain injury. One hour per week for six months, this group performed a type of therapy designed by the authors, and the results showed that it was a very effective and motivating experience, since substantially improved self-awareness, social skills and their behaviors, taking into account that they were patients with traumatic brain injuries.

Another interesting study is the one carried out by Fernandez-Aranda et al. (2015) in which video games were tested as a tool to perform cognitive-behavioral therapy in patients with bulimia nervosa. In this study it was verified how the cognitive behavioral therapy, together with the so-called serious games, could be of great help in the emotional dysregulation of patients. Using both, they observed that patients with bulimia nervosa suffered fewer dropouts and greater remission of symptoms, both partial and total, compared to the control group that only performed cognitive behavioral therapy without the support of the videogame.

On the other hand, studies such as those by Krzywinska (2015), Younbo et al. (2015), Servais (2015) or Smethhurst (2015), show us that video games can be used by therapists to enhance the insight of patients and get deeper information about their person, especially in video game survival horror, first person shooters Y role playing games, since they deal with topics that in many cases are taboo, such as funerals, death and even trauma. Under a therapeutic context, the immersion of the patient within these virtual worlds where they are treated These topics can provide very valuable information that could otherwise be much more difficult to get.

Finally, a study carried out by Sevick et al. (2016) in which they performed a type of movement therapy in the upper extremities in patients with cerebral palsy, using video games and the Microsoft Kinect motion sensor. In this studio observed that the levels of motivation in carrying out the exercises were considerably higher when they made use of this platform that integrates video games and movement, thus obtaining greater performance and the possibility of transferring the intervention at the patients' home, due to the high performance compared to the exercises performed in the clinical center or laboratory.

Concluding

As we can see, the results of these studies show the great utility that video games can have within the psychotherapy and counseling, thus increasing the range of tools that the therapist can use, since, as well as the empty chair technique or the exhibition, offer new possibilities that should not be overlooked despite the existing skepticism of this new paradigm. All these studies discover a new world in the application of video games to perform therapies and treatments of all kinds, as long as the use is supervised by professionals trained in the field.

Emphasizing the importance in the early stages of vital development, video games are a tool with great expectations for the future, especially if we have take into account the speed at which the video game sector evolves and the new platforms that are developed in parallel, such as Virtual Reality or motion sensors, which open up even more a range of possibilities, which in itself is very interesting and which should be taken into account much more given its features.

Bibliographic references:

• Fernandez-Aranda, F., Jimenez-Murcia, S., Santamaría, J.J., Giner-Bartolomé, C., Mestre-Bach, G., Granero, R., et al. (2015). The use of videogames as complementary therapeutic tool for cognitive behavioral therapy in bulimia nervosa patients. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 18, pp. 744 - 751.

• Krzywinska, T. (2015). Gaming horror’s horror: representation, regulation, and affect in survival horror videogames. J. Vis. Cult. 14, pp. 293 - 297.

• Llorens, R., Noé, E., Ferri, J., and Alcañiz, M. (2015). Videogame-based group therapy to improve self-awareness and social skills after traumatic brain injury. J. Neuroengineering Rehabil. 12, pp. 1 - 8.

• Servais, O. (2015). Funerals in the ‘World of Warcraft’s: religion, polemic, and styles of play in a videogame universe. Soc. Compass 62, pp. 362 - 378.

• Sevick, M., Eklund, E., Mensch, A., Foreman, M., Standeven, J., & Engsberg, J. (2016). Using Free Internet Videogames in Upper Extremity Motor Training for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Behavioral Sciences, 6 (2), 10.

• Smethhurst, T. (2015). Playing dead in videogames: traumain limbo. J. Pop. Cult. 48, pp. 817 - 835.

• Younbo, J., Hyun Jee, O., Sng, J., Joung Huem, K., and Detenber, B. H. (2015). Revisiting gender preference for a first-person shooter videogame: effects of non-verbal sensitivity and gender on enjoyment. Interact. Comput. 27, pp. 697 - 705.