The Gaming Persona

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...

Send us Fan Mail The topic this week is Board Games! Dr. Gameology and Jenny start to explore the psychological underpinnings of playing board games as a form of wonder and entertainment. The Road of Trials segment has the hosts take the Board Game Motivation Questionnaire found at quanticfoundry.com together, and they take the time to share their connection with most of the motivations as they re...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny review current events related to the Oxford (2020) study stating that videogames seem to increase individual well-being, and then move into their topic of the week; Psychological Flow. Doc and Jenny review how this concept fits into some of their games and some of their work. Works from Jane McGonigal are also referenced as they use them to establish the fo...

Send us Fan Mail For the tenth episode of the show, Dr. Gameology and Jenny review their weeks, congratulate the X-Box fans for having a new console, and then embark on their first professor commentary. Using HBO Max or a viewing option of your choice, this episode is designed for you to watch the episode from the Big Bang Theory while listening. Afterwards, the hosts review what they saw and scor...

Send us Fan Mail Internet Gaming Disorder is identified as the key topic for this episode as Dr. Gameology and Jenny move forward from their conversation on the Dark Timeline in Episode 8. This potential future diagnosis in the DSM-5 is discussed from the perspective of game players and the clinical point of view. The connection between game elements, advertising, and personal factors are discusse...

Send us Fan Mail This episode introduces some new phases to the Hero's Journey as Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore the Dark Timeline. The topic focuses on three games from each host which altered the flow of events and dramatically led to the people Jenny and Doc have become to this point in their lives.  The Dark Timeline is explored in the form of the "Nadir" phase, the period wher...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore their experiences with cooperative style video games. The research focus on this episode includes gaming motivation, how we join in with other people during games, and how this relates to game enjoyment. The range of games mentioned include Phasmaphobia, Mario games, Among Us, and MMO style raids. Support the show If you would like to support the sh...

Send us Fan Mail For this episode, Dr. Gameology and Jenny explore the horror genre of videogames. Jenny shares experiences from Phasmophobia, and Doc shares his recent experiences completing different in-game challenges on stream with Resident Evil 7. The differentiation between fear and anxiety is drawn to expand the emotions many people experience in this form of videogame enjoyment. Multiple s...