Game On Psychology grew out of years of firsthand experience in schools and on the sidelines of competitive gaming. As a licensed clinical and school psychologist, Dr. Leigh Rust, Psy.D., spent much of his career supporting students who struggled to connect in traditional therapy. Boys, adolescents, and young men in particular often resisted the clinical office settings, giving short answers, avoiding eye contact, or shutting down entirely.​ At the same time, Dr. Rust saw another side of these students in a completely different arena: the world of gaming and Esports. As an Esports coach, he watched young people who rarely spoke in class come alive when competing or collaborating in a game. They communicated, problem-solved, and showed resilience in ways that didn’t always surface in the therapy room or classroom. It was clear that gaming wasn’t just a pastime, it was a safe and natural way to engage.

 

The breakthrough came when Dr. Rust began blending these two worlds. By introducing video games into therapy sessions, he discovered that play lowered defenses and created opportunities for authentic conversation. Sitting side by side with a controller in hand, clients opened up. Wins and losses became lessons in frustration tolerance, teamwork highlighted communication patterns, and the shared experience built trust that traditional talk therapy often couldn’t achieve.

 

Curious to better understand why this worked so well, Dr. Rust turned to the research. He dove into peer-reviewed journals and emerging studies on the use of video games in therapy. What he found only reinforced his clinical observations: growing evidence that gaming could enhance rapport, foster problem-solving, improve emotional regulation, and even reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression when used intentionally. Rather than contradicting the clinical tradition, the research showed that gaming could be a powerful extension of it.

Game On Psychology was founded on this combination of real-world practice and scientific validation. By uniting the structured insights of a school psychologist, the team-building perspective of an Esports coach, and the evidence-based methods of a clinician, Dr. Rust created a model that meets clients where they are and builds from there. For some, that means finally talking about feelings they’ve kept inside. For others, it means transforming family conflict over gaming into collaboration, teamwork, and connection.

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