The Gaming Persona

Send us Fan Mail For this episode, Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore the use of discord to build gaming communities in parallel with the play of games. Additional concepts include player optimal distinctiveness and the influence of factions on gamer beliefs. Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibilities for future episodes and projects, this can n...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny share their experiences with open world and creator mode games. This episode strikes a balance between both hosts game experiences across the decades of gaming and how games look now. Research on Just Cause 2 from the early 2010's highlights how open world formats categorize players by behavior profiles and then games can be constructed to have specifi...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny review fiero as a concept to explain the burst of joy during the deepest accomplishments game and life have to offer. This is then applied to multiple contexts in life from work to productivity, along with what type of player type we might be across our holistic range of experiences. Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny review a TED Talk about the "Super Mario Effect" and relate this to how games encourage a trial and error style of growth in many instances while society focuses on penalties and negative labels.  Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibilities for future episodes and projects, this can now be don...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny discuss imposter syndrome as it pertains to games and life. The idea was sparked as both of them took it upon themselves to be healers in Final Fantasy XIV Online, but multiple real life experiences are explored as well from work to academia to clinical training.  Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibili...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny enter into a discussion on a few ways video games encourage health, wellness, and personal growth. Sincere coverage of addiction topics is included at the beginning of the episode as well. Games mentioned included Betwixt, Duet, Habitica, and a handful of others used for fitness, mindfulness, and task completion. Support the show If you would like to suppor...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny review the impact of Star Wars AND Video Games on their life. This special episode focuses on how May the Fourth has become a part of societal awareness and opens up the door for amazing video game memories for game players across the world. Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibilities for future episode...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny finished the Erica game with disappointing results. The focus of the podcast explores the ins and outs of quick-time events as a form of gameplay and how these games are structured to form memorable experiences for those who play them. The Doctor and Jenny hope this episode resolves itself better for everyone involved than their game did this week. Support...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny add another player type to the podcast convo, and this time it is The Bard type. A discussion of how players can create music (or mayhem with instruments) is explored as Doc and Jenny realize the last few types are not them at all.  In the Ordinary World, Doc finally hit level 80 in FF XIV, and the shenanigans with that accomplishment are thoroughly enjoyed...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, Jenny and Dr. Gameology talk about photo modes in video games and explore the trail of topics that get tied into them. Jenny shares some insights from her gaming and professional motivations, and Doc follows along with his stories of games he played a long time ago such as Pokémon Snap, The Last of Us (1 and 2), Kingdom Hearts, and others. Support the show If you...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology shares the video footage of his stream from the Geek Therapeutics Journey presentation with Jenny so she can [finally] see what this game is. This episode features the unrehearsed commentary of two friends watching a game stream together and exploring the connections between games, myth, movies, and personal meaning. Support the show If you would like to support the...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny come back into the conversation to explore how games reflect our meaning in life (and how they could help us find it). This is a starter conversation which directly connects with a recent webinar Dr. Gameology taught entitled "The Quest for Meaning: The Therapeutic Parallels of Journey." Support the show If you would like to support the show and h...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny talk about their iTunes review which spirals into a winding diatribe against how America and the World seem to view the importance (or unimportance) of play in the psyche of the person. Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional possibilities for future episodes and projects, this can now be done through Patreon ! Y...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore the concept of game expansions and how these have (and will) impact the way games have felt to them in the past. Exciting events are coming up for Doc in and outside of the game worlds and the hosts explore those in-depth as well. Final Fantasy: Endwalker, SWTOR, and D&D all have time to shine alongside more Motivation / Online Games Research. ...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny come through during a tough week to discuss D&D alignment and psychological benefits. This leads to the discussion of whether video game villains would deserve a vaccine for a life-threatening virus. Both hosts encourage everyone to wrestle with concepts of good and evil, but ultimately hope the conclusion of this chat landed on a humanistic note. Know...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny have no plan in this episode except to answer the call, acknowledge the road of trials, ascend then return. The topics are random and we explore a heavy dose of Reddit / Wallstreetbets and gambling in video games. Gambling addiction is a serious mental health issue, and while there are some light-hearted comments in the episode bordering on humor, the infor...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and returning co-host Jenny review a type of motivation they do not often tap into: Discovery Motivation! The exploration of maps and enjoyment of the games scenery and secrets can be enjoyable if you stop fighting everything to take notice. Player types from a 2020 GDC report are reviewed as the framework for play styles in the ensuing conversation. Support the show...

Send us Fan Mail For the Gaming Persona this week, Dr. Gameology and first time guest Marcus from Working Class Nerds podcast discuss the development of their friendship over the last two years. Research support includes exploration of casual gaming friendships and how these can transition into mutually supportive friendships that extend beyond gaming.  Support the show If you would like to suppor...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny review how the framework of the monomyth can be used to connect with our own human timelines to develop courage to "Cross the Threshold." Special attention is given to the Sith Warrior class story from Star Wars: The Old Republic and then a specific lesson from the game Journey developed by Thatgamecompany and Santa Monica Studio. Continue the Jou...

Send us Fan Mail The Hero's Journey as the Monomyth discovered by Joseph Campbell is a pathway to helping narratives in our fiction speak to the deeper calling of our being to be unique and find our purpose. Dr. Gameology and Jenny use this episode to explain why the Hero's Journey became the foundation of The Gaming Persona podcast as they apply the basic structure of the journey to fou...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny are in a much different spot at the end of 2020 than they were at the beginning. They take the time this episode to review the ins and outs of how this year changed their lives, created the show, and started the conversation of "who we become when we play games." Support the show If you would like to support the show and help us unlock additional...

Send us Fan Mail Jenny has created a character in Final Fantasy XIV, and so they have a new virtual world to reflect on the psychology of playing games together. Research findings are connected to the process of creating a character, gender-swapping in MMO games, and coming to appreciate the structures in a game that make the play engaging and facilitate connectedness between gamers and their comm...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny talk about the Video Game Awards and some of the winners from categories that captured their thoughts this week. A conversation about mental health resources for game players is included, and at the 48 minute point Jenny remembers that she won an award (so please be happy for her on Facebook and Instagram).  Continue the Journey!! Support the show If you wo...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny played a game together this week, and then decided to talk about character creation. The gender, look, behaviors, and types of in-game challenges a character is created for were discussed alongside the Five-Factor Inventory for more personality context.  This conversation explores why we cannot wear Christmas Bell or Wizard Nazi hats on our in-game and phys...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore the research study (FINALLY) that completed Doc's terminal degree which focused on the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to identify significant changes in a person's motivation areas for MMO style games. Several of the specific personality types receive direct discussion across the episode, but with more room to continue connecting t...