Using Popular Commercial Video Games in Therapy with Children and Adolescents

Over the past few decades, a considerable body of research has developed and used clinical games to achieve clinical goals; however, there is significantly less information about how popular, commercial video games can be used in psychotherapy. This article identified 100 popular games currently available on major consoles and grouped those games into descriptive genres. Then, the authors reviewed the literature within each genre to determine potential uses of these popular games for promoting gains in psychotherapy. A multitheoretical framework is used in providing recommendations. Recommendations for future research are also provided.