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 are hard to come by for a variety of reasons. In this episode of the podcast, I'll talk with a researcher who has set out to create and empirically test a program for using D&D to help people lower social anxiety and loneliness while improving their self-image.

Remember that Patreon supporters (patreon.com/pog) get ad-free versions of the podcasts and other bonus material!

Guest Expert Links:

• Dr. Billieux's university page
• His Researchgate.net page
• Information about the study we discussed

Audio Credits:

• “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0\
• "Babylon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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 Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

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 Credits:

• “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
• "Chill Wave" by Kevin Macleod

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: https://patreon.com/pog

Audio Credits:

• “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
• "Chill Wave" by Kevin Macleod

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 to get an early copy for 25% off. Print, audiobook, or ebook. You can also bundle in any of the other four books in the Geek Psychology series, so worth a look!

If you need a link to the show on another device, just go to psychologyofgames.com of psychologyofdnd.com. The Kickstarter will be the top story at both places until it's done.

Audio Credits:

• “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

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 repeated navigation and interaction that you attach importance and character to it like you do your childhood home, the first place you ever had a part-time job, or the neighborhood through which you walk your dog? Or even a whole city?

This is a relatively new concept that some researchers, such as my guest expert this episode, call "sense of place."

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 The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

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