The Therapeutic Use of Videogames in Childhood and Adolescence

U N T I L V E RY R E C E N T LY , most reported effects of videogames in children and adolescence centred upon the alleged negative consequences. These included videogame addiction (e.g. Griffiths & Hunt, 1995, 1998), increased aggressiveness (e.g. Griffiths, 1998), and various medical and psychosocial effects (Griffiths, 1996). Many people seem surprised that videogames have been used innovatively in a wide variety of therapeutic and medical contexts. As we shall see, ‘videogame therapy’ has been therapeutically successful in a wide range of childhood and adolescent disorders.

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