Headshots: Psychology + Gaming

#63: A recent Kotaku article about a game developer who was diagnosed with PTSD after working on Mortal Kombat 11 inspired this conversation about the potential secondary and vicarious trauma that can occur from prolonged exposure to graphic content. Players may see a fatality for a few seconds while the employees who make the game may be looking at graphic reference material for months. In the second half of the episode, we provide some recommendations for developers on how to protect and help their employees.

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Notes:

* ‘I’d Have These Extremely Graphic Dreams’: What It’s Like To Work On Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat 11 – http://bit.ly/2ZoLJ2K

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Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

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#62: We have favorite games and series but what makes that your favorite game series? We are joined by special guest Marc Cuiriz, host of the new Assassin’s Creed podcast The Codex to talk about what makes our favorite game series our favorite. Not to be confused with our favorite games because that might be more difficult to answer.

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Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates.

Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

Notes:

* The Codex – codex.geektherapy.com

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Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#61: In a recent Kotaku article, Cecilia D’Anastasio wrote “…video games aren’t just entertainment—they’re communication technologies” and we completely agree. We discuss the article and some research around communication and gaming.

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Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

Notes:

* For Men Who Hate Talking On The Phone, Games Keep Friendships Alive – http://bit.ly/30RSs6e

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Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#60: A study finds a specific region of the brain that stores pokémon information? 100,000 people played Pokémon simultaneously and beat the game? We’ll be able to play Pokémon in our sleep? We love pokémon so much! 😭

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Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates.

Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

Notes:

* Brain scans reveal a ‘pokémon region’ in adults who played as kids – http://bit.ly/2SilQzB

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Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#59: Apex Legends introduced a ping system that has changed the way we think about non-verbal communication in games. It’s great. Every game should copy this feature immediately. We also discuss other examples of non-verbal communication we appreciate.

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Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates.

Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

—

Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#58: The Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch is a game, right? We discuss Bandersnatch as a work of interactive fiction, compare it to other games in the genre, and what we think of Netflix’s interactive future. We also discuss choice-supportive bias, where we positively defend a choice because, well, we made it.

Follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/geektherapy

Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates.

Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

—

Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#57: Lauren shares her recent escape room experiences, we discuss escape rooms for learning, and what we’d like to see in future escape rooms.

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Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

—

Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

#56: We discuss the wonderful and uplifting Wandersong, a game about saving the world despite everyone telling you it’s impossible. It’s a very colorful game in which you sing to solve problems. It’s amazing. Go play it right now.

Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates.

Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum.

—

Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @CHICKENDINOSAUR | @JosueACardona

Headshots is part of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network.

Geek Therapy Discord server – www.GeekTherapy.com/discord

Geek Therapy on Twitch – www.twitch.tv/geektherapy

Geek Therapy Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/GeekTherapy

Check out season 2 of Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast!

Geek Therapy’s Josué Cardona has hijacked this feed to make a special announcement.

The Geek Therapy Network, including Headshots, is brought to you in part by member of Geek Therapy on Patreon.

For the month of February GT is holding a special offer for all new and current members. Listen to learn more and visit patreon.com/geektherapy to become a member.

Thank you!