PXL_20260707_143202531.RAW-01.jpgTo celebrate National Video Game Day, we’re highlighting the important role video games play in supporting children and young people during their hospital stays at UCLH.

Health play specialists Huma and Thea-Maria explained:

“Video games provide a vital resource for our patients. They help children stay connected with friends outside the hospital and can provide a much-needed sense of normality. They also offer a valuable distraction and can help reduce anxiety. Playing games with patients helps us build trust – they will often talk to us about things while they are playing because it feels more natural and relaxed in that moment.”

Thanks to funding from UCLH Charity, patients can access a wide selection of games via the RockinR mobile gaming cart at University College Hospital. This durable, mobile unit stores gaming consoles and can be safely moved around hospital spaces, bringing gaming directly to patients of all ages, in different settings.

Irene O’Donnell, Trust lead for therapeutic play and youth services said:

“We’re really grateful to the Charity for funding the RockinR cart – it means more access to gaming which can really make a difference to the experience of being in hospital”.

 

If you would like to support care for our young patients, use the donate button and scroll to ‘Children and young patients’.  Thank you.

Together we can do more