There's a growing trend among therapists who bring people together --often children, but sometimes adults-- to play Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games in a therapeutic context. Run by game masters who are qualified mental health professionals, these sessions help people dealing with ADHD, autism, learning disorders, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many other diagnoses. Using their expertise both in the game and in providing therapy, these dungeon masters set goals, guide players into encounters that help them reach those goals, and then pause so that t ..read more

I talk about some of the psychology behind sales, especially digital sales that have no physical items or storefronts involved. What are some of the things that digital storefronts do --either intentionally or not-- that you should know about so that you can approach sales on your own terms ..read more

Could we develop a training regime for esports teams? It happens all the time in other kinds of sports. Coaches assign certain types of weight training and drills to soccer players, baseball players, football players, and any other kind of professional or even collegiate athlete you can think of. Could we do the same thing with esports athletes? What's the current state of research on training professional game players in esports ..read more

I share a lecture I recently gave on the psychology behind nostalgia, that bittersweet remembrance of times past. We'll explore why nostalgia has led to so many remakes, remasters, and reboots of old gaming franchises. And why that's not necessarily a bad thing ..read more

How can watching people play Critical Role or playing D&D yourself lead to transformative, psychologically meaningful experiences? And is that a thing you want ..read more

Why are fans so ready to get in fights over their preferred game properties or gaming consoles ..read more

Could a commercial VR game you're playing be used for therapy? What should therapists and their patients know about VR and related technologies being used in therapy ..read more

What's the psychology behind when and why people cheat? What can we apply from that research to cheating in video games? Find out in this lecture I recently gave on the topic ..read more

My guests and I talk about how platforms like Twitch are changing how researchers think about parasocial relationships. Is it only one-sided when there's audience interaction ..read more

Why do gamers sometimes engage in toxic behavior and what psychology can developers leverage to curb it ..read more