In the last decade, digital games have been reinvented as vehicles of self-expression, sense-making, empathy, and healing, rather than just as tools of distraction from pain or discomfort.

But aren’t games supposed to whisk us away to a magical world of fun and fantasy and distract us from reality? Why would we want to confront life’s challenges or hardships, for example, terminal illness, when playing a game?

Reimagining how we understand health, illness, life, and death, gaming expert Sandra Danilovic advocates for the potential games have to transform healthcare practices beyond the clinic or hospital in the way we care for each other and for ourselves. From the experimental and the accessible to virtual reality and interactive fiction, and even providing a DIY guide for creating your own digital games, Danilovic draws on the untapped resources this emerging art form has to offer for exploring health and healthcare experiences more fully and inclusively.

Bridging the virtual world of gaming with our physical reality, Danilovic delivers a new paradigm for thinking about games as a dynamic art technology that can transform how we understand, represent, practice, and support our health and well-being, making this a must-read for healthcare practitioners, family carers, and researchers in health humanities, as well as the curious amateur gamer.

Sandra Danilovic is Assistant Professor in Game Design & Development at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. Her research integrates game studies, health humanities, and disability studies. She has published on a variety of topics including game design, machinima filmmaking, and autism in virtual worlds.