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 […] The post The Cost of Making Graphic Video Games appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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 […] The post Why is THAT your favorite game series? appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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. 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. Notes: […] The post Video Games Are Communication Technologies appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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! 😭 Follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/geektherapy Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates. Questions? Comments? Discuss […] The post Pokémon Memories appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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. Join the Geek Therapy Discord server. Get all the latest Geek Therapy Gaming updates. Questions? Comments? Discuss […] The post Ping! Non-Verbal Communication appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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 […] The post Bandersnatch and Choice-Supportive Bias appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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. Join the Geek Therapy Discord server. 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 […] The post Escape Rooms and Learning appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#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 […] The post Wandersong appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

Check out season 2 of Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast! The post Headshots Season 2 Trailer appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#55: Josué and Lauren follow up the last episode with more horror games, this time talking about their favorite horror games. If you like Silent Hill and Eternal Darkness, this episode is for you. Join us on November 3rd in raising money for sick and injured kids. – geektherapy.com/extralife Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on […] The post Our Favorite Horror Games appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#54: Josué and Lauren geek out about horror games. Lauren loves horror games and Josué played a bunch of them for science. What are your favorite horror games? Join us on November 3rd in raising money for sick and injured kids. – geektherapy.com/extralife Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum. — Visit us […] The post Horror Games appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#53: Josué and Kelli talk about the academic concept of peer review in games research and gaming media in general. Is a YouTube essay any more or less significant to games research than a journal article? And what would academic peer review of YouTube videos even look like? Join us on November 3rd in raising […] The post Peer Review appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#52: Josué and Lauren discuss video game preservation because it’s scary to think about how much game history has been lost. Some people are doing great things to preserve the history of video games and we want to celebrate their efforts. Also, someone, anyone, bring back Scott Pilgrim, please. Join us on November 3rd in […] The post Game Preservation (aka Bring Back Scott Pilgrim) appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#51: Lauren asked members of the GT Community about their most memorable game deaths and then wrote a paper on it. Lauren and Josué discuss what makes a game death memorable and why so many people answer the question with “Aeris from FFVII.” This topic was inspired by Gabby DaRienzo and the Play Dead Podcast. Questions? […] The post Memorable Game Deaths appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#50: Your favorite games are sometimes the ones you remember the most fondly, not the games you are best at or know the most about. In the 50th(!!!) episode of Headshots, Josué realizes he loves Mega Man games despite knowing very little about them.  Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum. — Visit […] The post Mega Man Memory Collection appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#49: The new God of War surprised us by how genuine the relationships felt and all of the emotions we experienced throughout our playthroughs. Josué and Lara discuss how much they related to the game, what they felt, and why they think it matters. *Get Geek Therapy merchandise at geektherapy.com/store. (Affiliate Disclosure) — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us […] The post God of Feels appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#48: Josué and Kelli discuss reactions to games like Sea of Thieves and No Man’s Sky that seem to make many gamers angry. We talk about the feelings that follow playing a game that doesn’t meet expectations or simply isn’t what you wanted it to be. Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum. […] The post Manage Your Expectations appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#47: Josué and Lauren played Detroit: Become Human and had experienced completely different stories. We take a very long and spoiler-filled look at our experiences and discuss many of the game’s themes. What did you think of Detroit? Questions? Comments? Discuss this episode on the GT Forum. This episode is sponsored by: Plus 7 Intelligence, […] The post Detroit: Become Human appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#46: Kelli and Josué discuss STAY, a pixel-art adventure game whose protagonist Quinn is a therapist that has been abducted. You play as the only person who can communicate with and help Quinn. The game deals with mental health issues and you can constantly monitor Quinn’s mood, his trust of you, and your bonding with him. […] The post STAY appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#45: Josué and Lauren have been playing Minit which got them talking about the different ways time is used in games. *Enter our gaming week giveaway by visiting geektherapy.com/giveaway. For more on Mega Cat Studios, visit megacatstudios.com. — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast | @KelliNDunlap | @JosueACardona | @CHICKENDINOSAUR Headshots is a member of the Geek Therapy Podcast Network. […] The post Time appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.