Video games are at their core are just another form of stimuli. If we accept the statement "energy flows where the mind goes" then we see that by focusing on physical or emotional pain it can be exacerbated, by focusing our thoughts away from the pain we can alleviate it to lesser or larger extent. More than that various stimuli, including video games, can open our minds to fresh points of view that can make coping with painful situations much easier.
Of course, in so far as video games are concerned, the cure can be more poisonous than the disease. Getting "T-Bagged" by some guy in an online Halo 3 match, being constantly bullied by a bunch of players in an MMO, or the sheer frustration of playing any Ninja Gaiden game, is enough to make a person's pain go from bad to devastating.
Too as beneficial as playing a game like Flower on the PS3 could be it still doesn't compare to actually being out in a real meadow, amongst real flowers and a cool breeze blowing across your face.