Videoigre u psihoterapiji

Abstract

Video games in this literature review will be divided into serious and commercial video games. Serious video games have been developed to acquire new knowledge and skills, and to change human behaviour, so entertainment is not their primary purpose, but rather an added convenience. On the contrary, commercial video games have been developed exclusively for entertainment purposes and each one of us has encountered them at least once (e.g. Pac-Man, League of Legends). This paper offers a critical review of several research studies in which authors address the effectiveness of serious and commercial video games in psychotherapy, as well as one study about psychotherapists’ attitudes on their use. Serious video games mentioned in this paper are mainly intended for the treatment of various disorders in children and adolescents, and are based on principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, with the exception of the PlayMancer video game used for the treatment of severe gambling disorder in adults, which is based on biofeedback. Taking into consideration the large funds invested into commercial video games and their consequential technological superiority to serious video games, researchers have begun to wonder what benefits these extremely popular games might pertain beyond the framework of leisure. Two qualitative studies of commercial video games in psychotherapy are described, one of which is focused on PTSD treatment, and the other on general support for child psychotherapy, stemming from the experience of a child psychodynamic therapist.