Bibliography of Articles and Resources Related to the Therapeutic Use of Minecraft and Video Games

I often get asked for references related to the therapeutic use of Minecraft and video games so I have put together a list of articles, books and resources.

Please do get in touch if you come across other resources that we could add.

You can also read impact case studies from organisations and practitioners who have completed PlayMode Academy’s training in Using Minecraft as a Therapeutic Tool here: https://playmodeacademy.org/impact

Bean, A. M. (2018). Working with Video Gamers and Games in Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide. Routledge.

Black, M. H., Lilford, A., Nguyen, V., Walker, E., Wee, H. H., Falkmer, O., & McGarry, S. (2025). Gaming in the intervention and support process: A realist evaluation of a gaming-based programme. Autism, 29(7), 1688–1699. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251320542

Blackwood, L. (2025). Legend Land: An evaluation of a telehealth videogame for the emotional regulation of autistic children. Good Autism Practice (GAP), 26(1), 35–44.

The Therapist’s Notebook for Teletherapy with Children and Adolescents: Creative Interventions for Effective Online Therapy. (n.d.). Routledge & CRC Press.

Coyle, D. N. (2018, June 6). The Psychology of Gaming Disorder. Psychology and Video Games. https://platinumparagon.info/psychology-of-gaming-disorder/

Dunlap, K (2021) ‘Video games as Cultural Competence’ presented at TAGGS 2021. Available at: https://taggs.geektherapy.org/talks/video-games-as-cultural-competence/

Davies, J. (n.d.). Digging into Therapy. Primrose Hospice. Retrieved 9 August 2025, from https://primrosehospice.org/news/digging-into-therapy/

Earl, R. M. (2018). Video Game Use as a Tool for Assessing and Intervening with Identity Formation and Social Development in Family Therapy. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 39(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.1282

Finch, E. (2021). Therapeutic adventures in Minecraft. BACP Children, Young People and Families. https://playmodeacademy.org/resources-and-publications/featured-article-in-bacp-journal

Finch, E. (2022a). Using Minecraft as a sandtray. In J. Stone (Ed.), Digital Play Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to Comfort and Competence (pp. 190–192). Routledge.

Finch, E. (2022b, September 26). Minecraft: Education Edition—An Engaging Therapeutic Tool. Education.Minecraft.Net. https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/blog/therapeutictool

Finch, E. (2024, Autumn). Game Changer. New Psychotherapist, 30–34. https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/media/dz3fbkfv/87_new-psychotherapist-autumn-2024_web.pdf

Finch, E., and M. Rivett. 2026. “Systemic Therapy Through a Pixelated Lens: Using Minecraft in Therapy With Families That Include Autistic Children and Children With ADHD.” Journal of Family Therapy 48, no. 1: e70020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.70020. Full article available to view for free online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/N2IYPMVNSRUA6ZPJYREY?target=10.1111/1467-6427.70020

Finke, E. H., Hickerson, B., & McLaughlin, E. (2015). Parental intention to support video game play by children with autism spectrum disorder: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 46(2), 154–165. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_LSHSS-13-0080

Geek Therapy. (n.d.). Geek Therapy Community | Facebook. Retrieved 2 September 2025, from https://www.facebook.com/groups/GeekTherapy

Gerhardt, L., & Smith, J. (2020). The use of Minecraft in the treatment of trauma for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Family Therapy, 42(3), 365–384. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12297

Grennall, L., Cadwallader, L., Evans, S., Snow, C., & Hospice, K. (2025). Minecraft’s role in pre and post bereavement counselling for children and young people: An innovative approach at a hospice. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 14(Suppl 4), A13.

Keating, B. (2026) Adventures in the Digital Play Room: The Seven Guiding Principles for Using Minecraft in Play Therapy. Routledge.

Johannes, N., Vuorre, M., & Przybylski, A. K. (n.d.). Video game play is positively correlated with well-being. Royal Society Open Science, 8(2), 202049. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202049

Kilmer, E., Spangler, J., & Kilmer, J. (2023a). Therapeutically applied Minecraft groups with neurodivergent youth. F1000Research, 12, 216. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.129090.2

Knibbs, C. (2022). Children, Technology and Healthy Development: How to Help Kids be Safe and Thrive Online. Routledge.

Knibbs, C., & Hibberd, G. (Eds). (2023). A Practitioner’s Guide to Cybersecurity and Data Protection: How to Ensure Client Confidentiality. Routledge.

Knibbs, C. (2025). Tech-Smart Parenting: How to keep your kids happy and safe online. Vermilion.

Kowert, R. (with Trippier, J.). (2016). A Parent’s Guide to Video Games: The essential guide to understanding how video games impact your child’s physical, social, and psychological well-being.

Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (Eds). (2017). New Perspectives on the Social Aspects of Digital Gaming: Multiplayer 2. Routledge.

Kowert, R. (Ed.). (2020). Video Games and Well-being: Press Start. Palgrave Pivot.

Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (2021). The Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games. Routledge.

Langlois, M. (2011). Reset: Psychotherapy & Video Games (1st edn). Kindle.

Life, N. (2024, May 10). How Nintendo Switch Is Being Used By A New Generation Of Therapists. Nintendo Life. https://www.nintendolife.com/features/how-nintendo-switch-is-being-used-by-a-new-generation-of-therapists

McGonigal, J. (2012). Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Vintage Digital.

Pallavicini, F., Pepe, A., & Mantovani, F. (2021). Commercial Off-The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Systematic Review. JMIR Mental Health, 8(8), e28150. https://doi.org/10.2196/28150

Peñuelas-Calvo, I., Jiang-Lin, L. K., Girela-Serrano, B., Delgado-Gomez, D., Navarro-Jimenez, R., Baca-Garcia, E., & Porras-Segovia, A. (2022). Video games for the assessment and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01557-w

Pickard, C. (n.d.). Me, myself and my avatar. Retrieved 13 October 2025, from https://ironmill.co.uk/gaming-and-therapy-how-technology-can-aid-counselling?

Rice, R. (2023). Video Games in Psychotherapy. Routledge.

Ringland, K. E., Wolf, C. T., Faucett, H., Dombrowski, L., & Hayes, G. R. (2016). ‘Will I always be not social?’: Re-Conceptualizing Sociality in the Context of a Minecraft Community for Autism. Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1256–1269. https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858038

Ringland, K., Wolf, C., Boyd, L., Baldwin, M., & Hayes, G. (2016). Would You Be Mine: Appropriating Minecraft as an Assistive Technology for Youth with Autism. 41. https://doi.org/10.1145/2982142.2982172

Stone, J. (2022). Digital Play Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to Comfort and Competence. Routledge.

Stuart, K. (2025, July 14). ‘The way a child plays is the way they live’: How therapists are using video games to help vulnerable children | Games | The Guardian. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jul/14/the-way-a-child-plays-is-the-way-they-live-how-therapists-are-using-video-games-to-help-vulnerable-children

University of Cambridge, Beckett, M., Finch, E., McLellan, R., & Peacock, F. (2024). Bridging the ChASM: Creating Accessible Services using Minecraft. Faculty of Education. https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/programmes/chasm/

Wagener, G. L., Schulz, A., & Melzer, A. (2024). Games, hormones, and “dark” personalities: Dark tetrad and the effects of violent gaming on aggression, cortisol, and testosterone. Physiology & Behavior, 274, 114421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114421

Young, H. (2025). Exploring the potential of Minecraft to embody the Therapeutic Powers of Play, acting as a core agent for change in the play therapy process. Brit. J Play Therapy, 19, 47–59.

Zolyomi, A., & Schmalz, M. (2017). Mining for Social Skills: Minecraft in Home and Therapy for Neurodiverse Youth. Proceedings of 50th Hawaii International Conf on Systems Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2017.411