Gaming in healthcare isn’t optional anymore, and protecting it matters just as much as providing it.
Video games have earned a legitimate place in modern healthcare. What started as donated consoles in children’s hospital playrooms has evolved into evidence-based therapeutic programs with measurable impacts on pain management, mental health, and patient recovery. For hospitals running these programs, protecting the hardware is just as important as providing it.
The therapeutic case for gaming in healthcare
Child’s Play Charity, founded in 2003, has processed over $67 million in donations and maintains partnerships with over 140 hospitals worldwide, having powered over 1 million hours of play in pediatric healthcare settings. Approximately 60 Patient Gaming and Technology Specialists now work in hospitals worldwide, with a growing number of U.S. hospitals incorporating therapeutic gaming into their clinical operations.
For more on the clinical evidence and resources for running a hospital gaming program:
- Child’s Play Charity — the leading organization funding gaming equipment in children’s hospitals worldwide
- Digital Therapeutics Alliance — advancing FDA-cleared digital therapeutic products including video games
- Science Daily: Video Games Help Patients and Healthcare Providers — University of Utah research on therapeutic gaming for pediatric oncology patients
- Medical Device Network: Video Games as Medical Tools — overview of gaming technology in healthcare
Where gaming is being used in healthcare
Interactive gaming helps children manage anxiety, cope with painful procedures, and stay mentally engaged during long stays. Research shows an average reduction of 7 morphine boluses per day among pediatric patients utilizing therapeutic gaming.
Motion-based games support motor skill recovery and physical therapy in ways that keep patients engaged far longer than traditional exercises. Active gaming systems like the Nex Playground are particularly effective in rehab settings.
Research published in medical journals demonstrates promising therapeutic benefits for conditions including anxiety, depression, and ADHD, with video games integrating brief mental health messages proving a valuable approach to digital intervention.
Cognitive engagement through gaming helps reduce isolation and supports mental acuity among elderly patients. Active gaming systems encourage movement and social participation in ways passive entertainment cannot.
The operational challenges of hospital gaming programs
Equipment moves between rooms, wards, and common areas constantly. Without physical security, consoles disappear quickly in environments where patient access is constant and staff oversight is limited.
Patients need access to gaming at all hours. Staff cannot monitor every station around the clock, which creates opportunities for theft or tampering if hardware is not physically secured.
Clear acrylic enclosures allow for easy surface cleaning and sanitizing without exposing internal components, an important consideration in any clinical environment. Our cases can be wiped down without disassembly.
Healthcare facilities operate on tight budgets. A stolen PS5 or a damaged Xbox is not just an inconvenience, it removes a therapeutic tool from patients who need it and triggers a costly replacement process.
Recommended products for healthcare
The Nex Playground is particularly well-suited to healthcare environments, especially rehabilitation centers and pediatric wards. Its camera-based, body-movement gameplay encourages physical activity and engagement without traditional controllers, making it accessible to patients of all ages and mobility levels. It is one of our most requested products from hospital and long-term care buyers. Our security case keeps the unit in place while allowing staff to facilitate sessions safely.
Wide library of single-player, story-driven games that suit patients on longer stays. Ideal for patient lounges and common areas.
Game Pass provides a rotating library without individual purchases, cost-effective for facilities running ongoing programs. Series S is compact for bedside or small-room setups.
Family-friendly games, intuitive controls. Well-suited to pediatric wards and family waiting areas where a wide age range of patients needs to be served.
Facilities already providing Apple TV for patient entertainment can secure the unit with our case to prevent removal between room changes.
The cost of not securing it
Healthcare budgets are tight. Every stolen console removes a therapeutic tool from patients who need it and forces a purchase cycle that could have been avoided. Here is a single PS5 station over one year, assuming one console and two controllers lost:
Replacement costs based on typical 2026 retail pricing. Product prices as listed on our store. Confirm current prices before purchase.
Trusted by healthcare institutions
Secure Entertainment has been designing anti-theft security hardware for institutional environments for over 15 years, covered under US Patent 11,103,796. Our products are trusted by hospitals, children’s medical centers, rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care operations across North America, including Ronald McDonald House and St. Jude’s Hospital. Our products are low-maintenance, require no ongoing supervision from staff, and are built to hold up to years of daily use in demanding environments.
Browse our past installations to see real-world setups, or read customer reviews from organizations similar to yours. The Alberta Dreams Foundation, a children’s charity, wrote to us specifically about their hospital gaming stations: “You have helped to make dreams come true for numerous Alberta children for years to come.”
We also help with
Whether you are equipping a single patient lounge or securing consoles across multiple wards, we can help. We work directly with healthcare procurement teams and can accommodate purchase orders.