Video games represent a rapidly growing media form that is a daily activity for many youths. So far, only a little attention has been paid to the portrayal of mental illnesses and psychiatric intervention within them. In our research, we explored the best-selling video games released between 2002-2021 in order to analyse these representations. We came to the conclusion that approximately 1 out of 10 popular games attempts to portray symptoms of mental illness - with a majority of 75% of them in a negative and stereotypical way. Despite the majority of mental illness depiction in popular video games being negative, there are mounting reports that certain representations have a positive impact on their player bases. Further studies are required, as to how much videogames influence the player's attitude toward this topic.

Department of Psychiatry 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital Prague Czechia

Faculty Hospital Královské Vinohrady Prague Czechia

Grammar School Bilikova Bratislava Slovakia

Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Prague Czechia

Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology Center of Experimental Medicine Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia

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