The Psychology of Video Games

Examining the intersection of psychology and video games

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Podcast

Podcast 72: Esports Medicine

My guest and I discuss how physicians can specialize in caring for the mental and physical health of professional gamers.

April 15, 2022 in Podcast.

Podcast 71: The Psychology of Video Game Engagement

Why will people invest their whole time, vigor, and attention to some games and not others?

March 15, 2022 in Podcast.

Podcast 70: Memes and Memetic Communication

Memes are a lot more sophisticated and complicated than you might assume. This episode unpacks the idea of memes and how we use them.

February 15, 2022 in Podcast.
Podcast 69

Podcast 69: Game Transfer Phenomena

Ever seen or heard something from a video game while you weren’t playing? We talk about these “game transfer phenomena” and their implications.

July 1, 2021 in Podcast.

Podcast 68: Fan Conventions

My guest expert and I talk about the psychology behind geek fandom conventions, how people behave at cons, and how Covid has changed them.

May 3, 2021 in Podcast.

Podcast 67: Esports Performance Consulting

How can psychologists help esports athletes improve, stay healthy, and thrive?

March 5, 2021 in Podcast.

Podcast 66: Procedural Rhetoric in Games

When games have a message, do players respond?

January 10, 2021 in Podcast.

Podcast 65: Psychology and Final Fantasy

I have a full house of guests this episode, talking about a new book about psychology and Final Fantasy.

December 3, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 64: How Can Games Make Us Happy?

What does the research say about how video games can help us be more positive and happy?

November 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 63: Loss Aversion and Game Design

How game designers avoid –or deliberately use– the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion

September 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 62: The Psychology of Trolling

What does research say about why people troll in video games?

August 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 61: Twitch Donations

Why do people donate to Twitch streamers? What kinds of relationships do streamers and viewers have?

July 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 60: Take This (dot org)

My guest expert and I talk about supporting those who play and work in gaming communities.

June 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 59: What is a Games Researcher?

I and my guest expert, a psychology Ph.D. and researcher at Riot Games, talk about using psychology to make better games.

May 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 58: Economics and Online Games

How one guild leveraged a basic understanding of economics to dominate other MMO players.

April 1, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 57: Mental Models in League of Legends

How do the mental models of League of Legends experts differ from other players? And what does it matter?

March 1, 2020 in Podcast.
Podcast 56 image

Podcast 56: RPG Therapy

How one non-profit is using RPGs to teach skills, help people, and enhance therapy.

February 2, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 55: The Psychology of Level Design

How do level designers look to psychology for helping players can navigate, move through, and make sense of their virtual worlds?

January 4, 2020 in Podcast.

Podcast 54: Effects of Sexualization in Games

Guest experts discuss their “adversarial collaboration” to measure (or not) the effects of sexualized avatars.

December 1, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 53: The Qualities of Online Relationships (Rebroadcast)

Are friendships and other relationships formed in online games substitutes for offline relationships? Are they better?

November 1, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 52: Being Indistractable

Psychology of Games Summer Book Club concludes with Nir Eyal, author of newly released Indistractible.

October 2, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 51: Lost in a Good Game

Psychology of Games Summer Book Club begins with an interview with Dr. Pete Etchells, author of the newly released Lost in a Good Game.

September 7, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 50: Moral Choices in Games vs. Other Media

My guests and I discuss how moral choices in games differ from other media and some of our favorite and most compelling choices from games.

August 4, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 49: Empathy in Video Games

How do psychologists study empathy and how can it best be used in games?

July 4, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 48: Loot Boxes, Part 2

The full interviews behind my recent episode on psychology and loot boxes.

June 19, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 47: Loot Boxes and Gambling

Should loot boxes be considered a form of gambling? Is there a relationship between loot box spending and gambling?

May 9, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 46: Collecting Virtual Items in Games

How do game developers make virtual items as collectible as physical objects?

April 1, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 45: The Psychology of The Legend of Zelda

I talk with several authors of the new book, The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series

March 5, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 44: Gamification and Video Games as Employment Tests

Why does gamification work, or not work? Can a game be used to screen job applicants?

February 4, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 43: Dungeons, Dragons, & Psychology

My guest and I talk about the application of Dungeons & Dragons to psychology –and vice versa.

January 1, 2019 in Podcast.

Podcast 42: Tracking Our Mobile Game Affinities

A Product Manager from King discusses how he measures players’ affinities for different kinds of mobile games and what developers can do with that information.

December 3, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 41: How Video Games Prepare You For Success

My guest and I explore how video games teach and reinforce skills psychologists have found to be important for success in work and life.

November 1, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 40: Our Avatar Relationships

What kinds of relationships do people form with their video game avatars, and why?

October 2, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 39: Thirty Questions About the Psychology & Games

You say “What 30 things should researchers study about psychology and games!” I say “Listen to this episode of the podcast!” Woo!

September 1, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 38: Mental Health Professionals and Video Games

What do therapists need to know about the new video game addiction standards and other topics related to their patients’ favorite games?

August 6, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 37: Cognitive Psychology and User Experience

How basic psychological phenomena impact (or should impact) game design and user experience.

July 2, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 36: Psychology, Escape Rooms, and VR

How can the psychology behind escape room design be applied to the design and play of video games and virtual reality? Or vice versa?

May 2, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 35: Player Empathy and Drivers of Game Preference

I talk to veteran game designer Jason Vandenberghe, who has turned to psychology and personality theory to understand and empathize with what kinds of experiences gamers want.

March 18, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 34: Game Design Education and Psychology 101

Why universities and other institutions offering degrees in the gaming industry are having students take Psychology 101.

February 16, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 33: Using Games to Develop Mental Skills

How cognitively demanding games can be a big help with developing certain mental and social skills, especially for kids with special needs.

January 16, 2018 in Podcast.

Podcast 32: Twelve More Months of the Psychology of Games Posts

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …TWELVE AUDIO ARTICLES!

December 18, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 31: Harassment in Video Games

In this episode my guest expert and I discuss what psychology has to say about online harassment in games: what causes it, what predicts it, and how we might be able to curb it.

November 14, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 30: Gaming Addiction

Is it possible to be addicted to video games? How well are scientists doing at finding out?

September 16, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 29: Morality and Moral Choices in Video Games

How morality and moral choices affect game design and how we play.

July 17, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 28: How We See Our In-Game Avatars

How avatars can affect our attitudes towards games –and life outside of games.

June 20, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 27: Collecting Things in Video Games

Why do people collect things in video games, and how can game designers make it more enjoyable and worthwhile?

May 16, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 26: Moral Combat on Violent Video Games

I interview the authors of the new book Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong.

April 19, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 25: A Parent’s Guide to The Psychology of Video Games

I talk to the author of the new book, A Parent’s Guide to Video Games about psychology, kids, video games, and what we really know (and don’t know).

March 18, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 24: Using Video Games for Therapy

In this episode I talk about how some psychologists are using video games as a therapy tool.

February 15, 2017 in Podcast.

Podcast 23: Self Determination Theory and Why We Play Games

This episode’s guest helps us understand what motivates us to play games, and even specific games in particular.

January 17, 2017 in Podcast.

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