SynthesisCurrent psychiatry reports2022
Winning The Game Against Depression: A Systematic Review of Video Games for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders.
Synthesis in Current psychiatry reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of active video games on mental health among college students: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Assessing the Impact of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Video Games on Improving Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Facilitating Thought Progression to Reduce Depressive Symptoms: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Trial
- Music-based casual video game training alleviates symptoms of subthreshold depression.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- Psychological Correlates of Problematic Gaming Behaviour in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Structural and Contextual Factors.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring Serious Games in Supporting Postnatal Depression: Narrative Review.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Review
- A videogame for perceived risk of harm from opioid misuse in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.Nature health · 2026Article
- From risk to resilience: a narrative overview of modifiable factors influencing depression in children with autism spectrum disorder (part I).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Article
- The Positive Effect of Video-Game Play on College Students' Anxiety and Depression Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic Shelter-in-Place Lockdowns: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Article
- Smartphone-based serious games for mental health: a scoping review.Multimedia tools and applications · 2024Article
- Psychological aspects of rehabilitation nutrition: A position paper by the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition (secondary publication).Journal of general and family medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Evaluating the Feasibility of a Multiplayer Role-Playing Game as a Behavioral Health Intervention in Adolescent Patients With Chronic Physical or Mental Conditions: Protocol for a Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Putting the Gaming Experience at the Center of the Therapy-The Video Game TherapyHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Habitual Videogame Playing Does Not Compromise Subjective Sleep Quality and Is Associated with Improved Daytime Functioning.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Effects of a video game intervention on symptoms, training motivation, and visuo-spatial memory in depression.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purpose of reviewTo review the evidence about video game-based therapeutic intervention for people diagnosed with depressive disorders. RECENT
findingsPsychotherapy has been proved to reduce depressive symptoms and is a key element in the treatment of depressive disorders. However, geographical, economical and stigmatized concerns are barriers to access to psychotherapy. New technologies and videos games can overcome some of these barriers by providing teleconferencing evidence-based therapy as time as they may offer an interactive entertainment. Overall, video game-based interventions were useful and effective in reducing symptoms of depressive disorders. Seven of the studies were published in the last 5 years, which reflects the increased research interest in video game-based interventions for depression. Overall, when adherence was reported, rates of acceptability and feasibility were high.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.