What’s the psychology behind role-playing in Dungeons & Dragons or video games?

What can the psychology of loot drops tell us about the evolution of the Diablo series?

Can playing a lot of games lead us to become better at explaining why a given character or behavior is moral or immoral?

Why are we motivated to keep playing games, sometimes even doing the same thing over and over again?

How some therapists are using games like Dungeons & Dragons for therapy and how it’s different (and the same) from the game you play.

In this episode, I talk about some of the psychology behind sales, especially digital sales that have no physical items or storefronts involved.

Could we develop a training regime for esports teams? My guest expert and I discuss the state of research on esports psychology.

I share a lecture I recently gave on the psychology behind video games and nostalgia, that bittersweet remembrance of times past.

What kinds of transformative experiences can watching Critical Role or actually playing Dungeons & Dragons create?

Why are fans so ready to get in fights over their preferred game properties or gaming consoles?

Could a commercial VR game you’re playing be used for therapy? What to know about VR therapy.

What’s the psychology behind when and why people cheat and what can we apply from that research to cheating in video games?

Twitch is changing how we think about parasocial relationships. Is it only one-sided when there’s audience interaction?

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

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

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

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

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

When games have a message, do players respond?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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