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? Are...

“I’m sorry you failed your concentration check, hon.” One of the more recent defenses of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons I hear is that they teach social skills like empathizing with other people. The idea being that if playing the game requires you to think like your character would think and react to things in the game...

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...

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 podcast episode contains excerpts from multiple chapters and some of my own inside commentary. The book will be available...

The publisher of my new book, The Psychology of Dungeons & Dragons: How To Be a Better, More Engaged, and Happier Player or Game Master, has launched a Kickstarter to offer early, 25% off copies of the book! You can perform semi-precise clicking motions here or on the image below to check it out. I’m super proud of this new...

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...