More Than a Game

This thesis investigates how health providers in pediatric oncology perceive the use of digital games by childhood cancer patients during different phases of treatment. The emotional toll of cancer on children is widely documented, yet research often overlooks the tools children themselves rely on to manage psychological stress. Digital play (particularly video games) is one of those tools. While often dismissed as simple distractions, this study examines how professionals interpret their role as psychological regulators and emotional anchors in clinical environments. The research draws on seven semi-structured expert interviews with Spanish health providers who work directly with pediatric oncology patients. This thesis adds to the existing literature by moving beyond the dominant focus on passive distraction and the physical benefits to patients. It addresses how digital games are interpreted and implemented by those closest to the child's psychological journey. Thus, the research question is: How do health providers perceive the use of digital games by childhood cancer patients during different phases of treatment? By using a thematic analysis approach, this study uncovers how digital games are seen as practical, flexible, and emotionally supportive mechanisms that adapt to the varying demands of cancer treatment. Importantly, these games are not viewed as secondary to therapy or as momentary relief, but as integrated tools that children use to cope or tools that professionals actively rely on in their care strategies. Theoretically, the research is rooted in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), both of which were reflected in the findings. The results reveal four major thematic areas: the emotional regulation from a health provider's lens; Games as tools to shape their treatment journey; Games as a medium for connection and belonging; and practical concerns. Within these themes, professionals consistently described games as contributing to emotional regulation, mood improvement, procedural compliance, and even identity preservation, allowing children to momentarily step outside the patient role and into one of agency and imagination. In the first theme, digital games fulfilled both basic and higher-order emotional needs by offering safety, escapism and creative expression. In the second, their adaptability across illness stages reflected how games support evolving emotional, cognitive and motor demands. In the third, their use is for re-establishing and maintaining social and familiar bonds while isolated. In the fourth, there are minor but relevant concerns about the tool. The study reinforces that play does not lose its function in clinical settings but becomes a flexible coping tool across emotional relief, treatment adaptation, and cooperation. The study highlights the need for future research that includes the pediatric cancer patient's perspective, investigates long-term psychological outcomes, and recognises the role of play not just in therapy rooms, but in everyday clinical care.