Psychology of Video Games Podcast

It's frequently argued that playing games like Dungeons & Dragons can help you develop social skills like, cooperation, teamwork, and interpersonal communication. Get in there, use the game as scaffolding to practice those skills in a low-risk environment, and be a better you! And while these arguments make sense and are sometimes paired with anecdotal evidence, research in a controlled study...

Toxicity in video games has been a long-standing and long-studied problem. In this episode, I talk to someone who has not only studied toxic behavior among gamers, but specifically looked at how players deal with it --or don't deal with it-- and what game companies can do to help gamers when they see or experience it. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation”  by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Crea...

Many games put forth some kind of value that they hope will be communicated to players, be they ones that see obvious (like the value of empathy) or subtle (like experiencing life under capitalism). When the insertion of these values into game development is deliberate, what do we know about how it happens and what effects it has on players? Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/pog Audio Cre...

We have some decent theories for understanding the appeal of many different types of video games. But one thing I've always struggled to explain is why people love really difficult games (like Dark Souls) or really easy games (like Cookie Clicker). In this episode I'll explore one theory about uncertainty reduction that helps explain why we find ANY kind of game engaging. Support me on Patreon: ht...

My publisher is running a Kickstarter  to offer discounted, early copies of my new book on the Psychology of Dungeons & Dragons. To help you decide if you want to back it (I think you should, but I'm arguably biased), this episode contains excerpts from multiple chapters and some of my own inside commentary. The book will be available for sale widely later this year, but this is a great chance...

Have you ever become attached to a place in a video game? A virtual environment that you've obviously never visited in the flesh but which you start to think of it like a real place?  Maybe the dwarven capitol of Ironforge in World of Warcraft? The spaceship The Normandy in Mass Effect? Link and Zelda's land of Hyrule? Maybe you you have become so familiar with those virtual places through repeate...

Many of us have considered ourselves "passionate" about one thing or another, including video games or even specific game series or franchises. But what does this mean and is it always a good thing? When can passion become a detriment to our lives and our psychological well-being? These are the kinds of questions I'll discuss with this episode's guest expert. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation”  by...

In this episode, I'll explore some research on whether or not video games can make you smarter or help you develop certain cognitive skills. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation”  by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

In this episode, I talk with an expert on how video games elicit nostalgia and what it means for players and consumers. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

What do research and theory say about how our avatars in video games and virtual reality may shape our behaviors --and how they don't? Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

In this episode I talk with an expert on diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. We'll talk about the challenges video games present to people with ADHD and some strategies for dealing with problems it may present. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 "Bumbly March" Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative C...

In-game purchases are a staple of modern game design, especially in the free-to-play and live service categories. This isn't necessarily bad as a business model, but there are some psychological effects that these games either intentionally or accidentally employ that may make us spend more than we intend to. Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commo...

Sometimes we have to sell people on the merits of games like Dungeons & Dragons. People like parents, principals, teachers, or even our own significant others Usually this comes in the form of telling them all the great benefits playing brings --learning math, reading, communication, teamwork, social skills, and more. D&D is also often specifically praised for its ability to help neurodive...

Is technology or game design more important for determining whether we feel immersed and present in the world of a video game? What kinds of things will make us forget about the screen between us and that world, the controller in our hands, and the other things around us so that we start to feel like we're actually inhabiting the virtual world of the game? Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The...

What do psychologists and games researchers have to say about the idea of role-playing, when you pretend to take on another person's persona, point of view, thoughts, and state of mind? What effects can role-playing games have on us? Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons feature this as a central part of the experience, and some video games also ask you to do it. Audio Credits: “...

What can the psychology of loot drops tell us about the evolution of the Diablo series? Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Can playing a lot of games lead us to become better at explaining why a given character or behavior is moral or immoral? Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, I'm flying solo and doing a deep dive into what one theory has to say about why we're motivated to play video games, with an emphasis on grinding in particular.

There's a growing trend among therapists who bring people together --often children, but sometimes adults-- to play Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games in a therapeutic context. Run by game masters who are qualified mental health professionals, these sessions help people dealing with ADHD, autism, learning disorders, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many oth...

I talk about some of the psychology behind sales, especially digital sales that have no physical items or storefronts involved. What are some of the things that digital storefronts do --either intentionally or not-- that you should know about so that you can approach sales on your own terms?

Could we develop a training regime for esports teams? It happens all the time in other kinds of sports. Coaches assign certain types of weight training and drills to soccer players, baseball players, football players, and any other kind of professional or even collegiate athlete you can think of. Could we do the same thing with esports athletes? What's the current state of research on training pro...

I share a lecture I recently gave on the psychology behind nostalgia, that bittersweet remembrance of times past. We'll explore why nostalgia has led to so many remakes, remasters, and reboots of old gaming franchises. And why that's not necessarily a bad thing.

How can watching people play Critical Role or playing D&D yourself lead to transformative, psychologically meaningful experiences? And is that a thing you want?

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 should therapists and their patients know about VR and related technologies being used in therapy?