title: Video games as a complementary therapy tool in mental disorders: PlayMancer, a European multicentre study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous review studies have suggested that computer games can serve as an alternative or additional form of treatment in several areas (schizophrenia, asthma or motor rehabilitation). Although several naturalistic studies have been conducted showing the usefulness of serious video games in the treatment of some abnormal behaviours, there is a lack of serious games specially designed for treating mental disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our project was to develop and evaluate a serious video game designed to remediate attitudinal, behavioural and emotional processes of patients with impulse-related disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The video game was created and developed within the European research project PlayMancer. It aims to prove potential capacity to change underlying attitudinal, behavioural and emotional processes of patients with impulse-related disorders. New interaction modes were provided by newly developed components, such as emotion recognition from speech, face and physiological reactions, while specific impulsive reactions were elicited. The video game uses biofeedback for helping patients to learn relaxation skills, acquire better self-control strategies and develop new emotional regulation strategies. In this article, we present a description of the video game used, rationale, user requirements, usability and preliminary data, in several mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain. ffernandez@bellvitgehospital.cat
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Aranda
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Murcia
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Santamaría
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gunnard
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalapanidas
authors.forename: Richard G A
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Bults
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davarakis
authors.forename: Todor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ganchev
authors.forename: Roser
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Konstantas
authors.forename: Theodoros P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Kostoulas
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Mikkel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masuet-Aumatell
authors.forename: Maher H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Moussa
authors.forename: Jeppe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Penelo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011340:Problem Solving; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D013030:Spain; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D018910:Video Games