We are pleased to share a latest publication in JMIR Serious Games, produced in collaboration by Lauri Lukka (Aalto University; Soihtu DTx, CPO), Veli-Matti Karhulahti (University of Jyväskylä), and Professor Matias Palva (Aalto University; Soihtu DTx, Science Lead).
The study examines how mental health professionals perceive video games in clinical contexts and what these perceptions mean for the future design and adoption of mental health interventions that use video games as part of their therapeutic delivery.
As digital therapeutics continue to gain attention within healthcare, understanding clinician perspectives becomes increasingly important. Our findings suggest that video games occupy a unique and, at times, ambivalent position within mental health care settings.
Key Findings
1. Self–Client Asymmetry
Clinicians often described their own gaming experiences as recreational, positive, or socially meaningful. In contrast, clients’ gaming behaviors were more frequently associated with risks, excessive use, or problematic outcomes.
2. Attitudinal Ambivalence
Mental health professionals viewed gaming through a dual lens: both as a potential source of harm and as a meaningful cultural and social activity. This reflects a broader tension in how gaming is discussed and understood societally and within clinical practice.
3. Holistic Evaluation of Gaming Behavior
Rather than evaluating gaming in isolation, clinicians tended to assess it in relation to broader areas of life, including social relationships, daily functioning, productivity, and wellbeing.
Implications for Digital Mental Health Interventions
The findings highlight the tensions that can emerge when new mediums are introduced into healthcare. At the same time, a deeper understanding of these tensions can help address them through clinician education and thoughtful intervention implementation by:
- Clearly distinguishing therapeutic interventions from entertainment games
- Communicating clinical goals and mechanisms transparently
- Embedding video game therapeutics within broader care and recovery processes
- Challenging narrow assumptions about who video game therapeutics are designed for
As the field of video game therapeutics continues to evolve, these insights can help support more effective clinician engagement, education, and implementation strategies.
The full open-access article is available here:
https://games.jmir.org/2026/1/e69236