
New Books Network Federico Alvarez Igarzábal and Emmanuel Guardiola, "Video Games and Mental Health: Perspectives of Psychology and Game Design" (Transcript Publishing, 2024)
Jan 31, 2026
Federico Alvarez Igarzábal, a game designer turned academic who studies games and well-being, and Emmanuel Guardiola, a game-studies researcher focused on games and mental health, discuss how psychology and design intersect. They cover applied therapeutic games versus personal entertainment, indie tools enabling nuanced portrayals, clinical approvals and research trends, and the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Pandemic Catalyzed Positive View Of Games
- COVID accelerated public recognition of games' positive mental-health roles.
- Emmanuel Guardiola and Federico Alvarez Igarzábal note this shift enabled new research and design collaborations.
Indie Tools Opened Mental-Health Storytelling
- Free game engines and indie development broadened mental-health topics in games.
- Designers and researchers now inspire each other to make empathetic and applied experiences.
Value In Contrasting Voices
- The volume intentionally preserves different voices rather than homogenizing them.
- Editors let academic rigor and personal design perspectives coexist to enrich dialogue.

