Effects of video game-based interventions on executive functions and motor skills in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Only 20 trials were included, and many had small samples, so the pooled results are preliminary. Participants ranged from 3 to 18 years and included different diagnoses, so the average effect may not apply to a specific child or disorder. Several trials could not blind participants or therapists. Publication bias was found for gross motor skills, and the authors say observed effect sizes may be inflated. Exercise intensity was rarely reported, so dose-response is unclear. Long-term follow-up was limited, so durability of effects is unknown. Subgroup analyses were done after the main analysis, included few studies, and had low statistical power. Three trials combined video games with usual treatment, so the contribution of the game alone cannot be separated. Only English and Chinese articles were included.

Financial support was received from the Xinjiang Student Mental Health Survey Project, which also covered publication fees. The authors state the funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation.

Do not conclude that video games are an established treatment for cognitive or motor problems in all children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The improvements were small to moderate, gross motor evidence was heterogeneous and affected by publication bias, fine motor skills did not show improvement, and subgroup differences were exploratory. Three trials combined games with usual treatment, so the game component alone cannot be separated.