THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRESCRIBED CASUAL VIDEO GAME PLAY IN REDUCING TOTAL MOOD DISTURBANCE: A RETROACTIVE ANALYSIS

As the world becomes more complex, mood disorders are becoming increasingly common. Mood disorders develop when one or more of the factors of mood, such as depression, become too excessive, developing into an incapacitating disorder. Current treatment for mood disorders have been negatively associated with high cost, a lack of viable resources, and negative stigma. To this end, recreational therapists need newer interventions to help clients treat and prevent the development of mood disorders. Casual video games (CVGs) have been identified as a popular and easily available method to impact mood. This randomized controlled study will evaluate the efficacy of using CVGs in reducing the Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) in a population of adults diagnosed with depression. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was used to measure participants’ TMD scores after CVG gameplay during a one-month period of playing CVGs for 30 minutes, three times per week. The results from the POMS show that CVG gameplay was correlated with a reduction of TMD levels. Likewise, this study demonstrates that recreational therapists can use a prescription of CVGs to treat mood disturbances