Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? – Jayne Gackenbach PhD

My interviewee this time is André Brock from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa. His recent article in Games and Culture called ‘‘When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong: Resident Evil 5, Racial Representation, and Gamers” was the topic of our conversation. Brock writes that, “videogames’ ability to depict cultural iconographies and characters have occasionally … Read more about this episode...

We revisit the question of video game play and subsequent violence in my interview with James Ivory. He writes that “much of my research focuses on the content and effects of new entertainment media such as video games. At Virginia Tech, I founded the VT G.A.M.E.R. Lab (Virginia Tech Gaming and Media Effects Research Laboratory), a small laboratory hosted by … Read more about this episode...

This time I spoke with Pål Aarsand who has a PhD in Child Studies and works as a senior lecturer at the Department of Education, Uppsala University, Sweden. His research interest is in young people’s use of digital technology in their everyday lives. He has focused on game/play, identities, the parent-child relation and digital competences. We had a lively conversation … Read more about this episode...

Luther Elliott, of the Institute for Special Populations Research, National Development and Research Institutes, New York, NY, and I talked about his work on how video game genre might be a predictor of problem use. In an article published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, he and his coauthors explored this new way of viewing problem use. He … Read more about this episode...

Andrew Przybylski and I chatted this time about how ones sense of ideal self can be encouraged with the play of video games. Przybylski is with the Department of Psychology, University of Essex, United Kingdom. He and his coauthors recently published a study in Psychological Science, the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology, exploring these ideas. He points out … Read more about this episode...

This time I spoke with Adreine Shaw who is at Temple University . We talked about her research into video game identity and culture. This came out in an article in Games and Culture and has been the most downloaded and read article in the journal in the last few years. The article, “What is Video Game Culture?” discusses gender, … Read more about this episode...

On this show I chat with Hannah Marston who coauthored an article “Interactive Videogame Technologies to Support Independence in the Elderly” which was recently published in the Games for Health Journal. Dr. Marston is with the Institute of Sport Gerontology, German Sport University Cologne. She writes about her work that, “in recent years the use of videogame technology has … Read more about this episode...

The author of “Getting Women in the Game”, Shira Chess is the focus of my interview this time. She is a visiting professor at Department of Mass Communication, Miami University, Ohio. Her article appeared in the National Communication Associations journal, Communication Currents. Her article “analyzes the advertising strategy use to market video games to women. The increase in advertising … Read more about this episode...

This show is a conversation with Dr. Roger Stahl who is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. Dr. Stahl has just produced a film about how political activism is occurring inside video games. His film, Returning Fire: Interventions in Video Game Culture, he points out that, “Video games like Modern Warfare, … Read more about this episode...

In this show we are chatting with Fiammetta Rubin of the Naturopathic Educational Services in Philadelphia, PA. This interview is a bit of a departure from the video game theme of this show. It’s about how a lifelong artist found computers and incorporated computers into her art. She explains that her “digital prints are produced by an Epson printer on … Read more about this episode...

In this show we will be discussing the borders between virtual and real. My guest is Dr. Greg Garvey who is with the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. I chatted with Greg at the 2012 meeting of Towards a Science of Consciousness about his chapter in my book, Video Game Play and Consciousness.… Read more about this episode...

Denise Doyle, of the School of Art and Design at the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom is my guest this time. I met up with Denise at the April 2012 “Towards a Science of Consciousness” meeting in Tucson, AZ. She is a contributor to my forthcoming book, “Video Game Play and Consciousness” from NOVA … Read more about this episode...

This week we’ll be discussing the relationship between the visual arts and gaming. Here I do not mean the graphic design of a game but rather how might gaming influence the artist in us all or perhaps increase our appreciation of the arts. My guest is John Sharp, who is with the Savannah College of Art and Design as well … Read more about this episode...

Dr. William Gibbons, Assistant Professor of Musicology at Texas Christian University, chats with me about the role of music in video games. He comes from a classical music background to inform his work in the music associated with gaming. Dr. Gibbons primary research interests are opera studies and musical nationalism as well as music in video games. He has … Read more about this episode...

Our interview is with Chris Hewett, Founder & Executive Producer of a new social media and self-development tool, Mindbloom. A long time game designer and developer, Chris tells the story of the birth of Mindbloom. This free-to-play game is designed to inspire people to define what’s important, discover what motivates them, and take meaningful daily actions in all … Read more about this episode...

This interview is with Garth Chouteau who oversees all surveys and research related to the health benefits of video games at PopCap Games. A casual game is one which is easy to learn, does not take much time to play, yet occupies enough attention to distract one from day to day ruminations. Previous casual game research we have spoken … Read more about this episode...

This is Dr. Jayne Gackenbach and this week on Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? we’ll be discussing avatars. What is an avatar? Classically they have been our characters in video games or in virtual worlds like Second Life, but our guest argues that avatars are now our online footprint. Beth Coleman, who received her PhD in comparative literature … Read more about this episode...

This time we will be talking with the editor of a new journal devoted to games for health, Bill Ferguson. Premiering in February of 2012, Games for Health: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, will offer original peer-reviewed research articles, as well as industry insights and developments. Additionally, interviews and commentary on the games for health initiative will be included … Read more about this episode...

In this show we’ll be talking about various perceptual and cognitive advantages to gaming. Dr. Walter Boot is the director of the Attention and Training laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University. In his lab they have tested expert video game players versus newbie’s on a variety of attentional, memory and information processing tasks. This included … Read more about this episode...

In this show the use of games in the military is explored. In a recent study in the journal, Military Psychology, it was found that 43% of their over 10,000 soldier respondents reported gaming on a weekly basis. These individuals were largely male, young, and of the lower ranks. Given that almost all young people have played or currently … Read more about this episode...

In this show I am talking with Dr. Barry Grant, who is a professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. Our topic is horror in film and video games. As an expert and teacher in film genres, science fiction, and horror, as well as a game developer, Dr. Grant … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Patrick Markey director of the Interpersonal Lab at Villanova University is interviewed. He has examined how personality can be a predictor of aggression resulting from gaming. He talks about three personality traits that are particularly likely to predict negative outcomes of violent video game play. You’ll learn what these are as well as how does situation affect aggressive modeling … Read more about this episode...

There are two parts to this show. First the history of video game chapter is read from my forthcoming book, Playing Reality, by my coauthor who happens to be my son, Teace Snyder! As you know from earlier shows the reason that I got interested in video game play was because my son is a gamer but he … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Evelyn Ellerman, chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Athabasca University, is interviewed in this show. She talks about the implications of gaming for the field of Communication Studies. Dr. Ellerman will address the role of narrative in games as a form of storytelling. How media overlap with newer media transforming older media is a theme in this … Read more about this episode...

This interview is with Dr. Jose Zagal, who is with DePaul University. He is the author of Ludoliteracy. In his article in Game Studies, “Novices, Gamers, and Scholars: Exploring the Challenges of Teaching About Games”, Dr. Zagal explains his doctoral dissertation research. The field of game studies is rapidly growing and in this interview we talk about … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Amy Bruckman is interviewed this time. She is an Associate Professor in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. She and her students in the Electronic Learning Communities research group, do research about online communities and education. Listeners will find this conversation quite helpful as it will introduce how gaming can be cooperative and constructive yet is … Read more about this episode...

Dr. Jesper Juul, author of The Casual Game Revolution and Half-Real is interviewed in this show. He is a Danish game researcher who is currently a Visiting Assistant Arts Professor at the New York University Game Center. As a casual gamer myself, I was fascinated to find this book and required my students to read parts of it. The … Read more about this episode...

Mia Consalvo who is has just begun teaching at Concordia University in Montreal after a year as a visiting scholar at MIT. She is the co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook of Internet Studies published by Blackwell and is author of Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames from MIT Press. She has published articles and book chapters in the areas of game … Read more about this episode...

My guest this week is Angelica Ortiz de Gortari, who will talk about the Game Transfer Phenomena. This young woman is working on her doctoral degree in the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. Originally from Mexico, Angelica has been fascinated with gaming and it’s effects for some time. Just as with … Read more about this episode...

This show is a conversation with a female serious video game player. Eva Murzyn, who is originally from Poland, completed her PhD at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom. Her research on individual differences in black and white dreaming, and their relationship with black and white media. In part this research interest emerged from her own experiences … Read more about this episode...

Two elements of children and video games are covered in this show. First I summarize a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation on media use by children 8 to 18. By looking at all media use by children we can contextualize their use of video games. Following this, you’ll hear an interview made at the 2011 Games for Health … Read more about this episode...

Tad Stach is a computer science doctoral student at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Tad’s current research is in the field of human-computer interaction. I interviewed him during the Game Developers conference. Tad is exploring how exercise can be improved through computer-mediated physical activity. More specifically, he is interested in facilitating more effective group or exergames. In this show … Read more about this episode...

Gamification is the use of game play mechanics for non-game applications. It works by making technology more engaging and by encouraging desired behaviors, taking advantage of humans’ psychological predisposition to engage in activities that are fun and rewarding. This shows guest is Judy Shasek, managing director of Healthy Community Development in the Eugene, OR area. She has applied the ideas … Read more about this episode...

In this show the principles of gaming and practice in virtual realms are illustrated with the work of Dr. Glenn Albright, of Kognito Interactive. He talks about a role-playing game he has helped develop “to train family members of returning veterans to (1) recognize when their loved one is exhibiting signs of post-deployment stress including signs of PTSD, … Read more about this episode...

This show is coming to you from the annual Games for Health meeting. This is a group of researchers, developers and service workers who are examining video game play as a way to service health needs. This show starts with a brief summary of the keynote by Martin Seligmann, world renowned positive psychology innovator. Then there is an interview with … Read more about this episode...

This time Jayne reviews her own research into the effects of gaming on nighttime dreams as well as her thesis that gaming can be framed as a type of meditative experience. She then interviews Moses Silbiger, a gamer and integral coach and consultant, whose master’s thesis topic explored spirituality and gaming from Ken Wilber’s Integral Psychology perspective. … Read more about this episode...

Is video game addiction simply drug free coping or is it the ultimate expression of play? While the Chinese are taking action against extreme video game play, there are also concerns in many households in North America that gamers play at the expense of the rest of their lives. The research has shown that while this is possible, it is … Read more about this episode...

To some it seems quite obvious that playing a video game is relaxing while for others this claim may seem like an oxymoron, an obvious contradiction. As it turns out there is now substantive research supporting the notion that video game play can be quite relaxing. This show is a conversation with Dr. Carmen Russoniello who is at the forefront … Read more about this episode...

Communication Studies has examined the history of the introduction to all new media from poetry to the printing press to video game play and what is remarkably consistent is that fear seems to accompany each media when first introduced. In the case of video game play, like television, the emphasis of this fear has been on modeling aggression. In part … Read more about this episode...

Ever wonder what’s the truth and what’s media hype regarding video games? This show will answer your questions. In this first one, a brief overview of some of the most pertinent and controversial issues surrounding video games today are touched upon. Ranging from the misconceptions of how video games and violence affect our children to how the dreams of gamers … Read more about this episode...