Jamie Madigan posts
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The Mere Completion Effect: Why Players Choose to Finish
This article is exclusive to my supporters! You can get the audio version of these posts delivered to your podcast reader of choice. Here are Patreon's instructions if you need help.The text version below.Let's say you were grinding out some faction rep in an open world game. You're doin...
Are D&D Players More Charismatic Than Non-Players?
Thanks for being a Patreon supporter! Listen to the audio version here, and/or read the text version of this article belowNot to start a discussion with "back in my day..." but back in my day Dungeons & Dragons players took a bit more of a risk to their social status when playing the game. D...
Podcast 99 - Toxicity and Support in Games
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 the...
Why Do D&D Players Like Rolling Their Own Dice?
This post includes the audio version of this article, exclusive to my supporters. Thanks for your support!Imagine you're playing Dungeons & Dragons and your dungeon master sadly informs you that the goblin shaman you're fighting finally figured out how to pronounce "Fireball!" Now yo...
Scarce Concord Resources
If you haven't played Concord, the competitive, team-based shooter developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony ...well, you're not going to be able to change that fact. Concord was released on August 23, 2024. Then it was eventually shut down. And by "eventually" I mean "...
Podcast 98 - Embedding Values in Games
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 ...
Are Dungeons & Dragons Players More Empathetic?
Someone actually studied this question and provided an answer. Text version is on the websitebut because you're a Patreon supporter you get a free audio version here. Thanks for your support!
Podcast 97 - Why We Like Really Hard (and Really Easy) Games
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 abo...
Podcast 96 - The Psychology of Dungeons & Dragons, the Book
My publisher is running a Kickstarterto 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 ...
Podcast 95 - Sense of Place
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 ...
Podcast 94 - The Psychology of Gaming Passion
Many of us have thought of ourselves as "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 a...
Podcast 93 - Do Games Make You Smarter?
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
Podcast 92 - Nostalgia
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 "Bumbly March" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under ...
Podcast 91 - Avatars
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
Podcast 90 - ADHD and Gaming
In this episode I talk with an expert on diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. We'll talk about the challenges video games present to people with ADHD and some strategies for dealing with problems it may present.Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under C...
Podcast 89 - In-Game Purchases and Virtual Currency
In-game purchases are a staple of modern game design, especially in the free-to-play and live service categories. Which isn't necessarily bad as a business model, but there are some psychological effects that these games either intentionally or accidentally employ that may make us spend more tha...
Podcast 88 - Dungeons & Dragons & Skills
Sometimes we have to sell people on the merits of games like Dungeons & Dragons. People like parents, principals, teachers, or even our own significant others Usually this comes in the form of telling them all the great benefits playing brings --learning math, reading, communication, teamwork, socia...
Podcast 87 - How Do We Get Immersed in a Game World?
Is technology or game design more important for determining whether we feel immersed and present in the world of a video game? What kinds of things will make us forget about the screen between us and that world, the controller in our hands, and the other things around us so that we start to feel lik...
Podcast 86 - The Psychology of Role-Playing
What do psychologists and games researchers have to say about the idea of role-playing, when you pretend to take on another person's persona, point of view, thoughts, and state of mind? What effects can role-playing games have on us? Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons feature th...
Podcast 85 - The Psychology of Loot and the Diablo Series
What can the psychology of loot drops tell us about the evolution of the Diablo series?Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Podcast 84 - Games and Moral Reasoning
Can playing a lot of games lead us to become better at explaining why a given character or behavior is moral or immoral?Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 "Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed und...
Podcast 83 - Grinding
Thanks for being a Patreon supporter! In this episode I'm flying solo and doing a deep dive into what one theory has to say about why we're motivated to play video games, with an emphasis on grinding in particular.
Podcast 82 - Therapy with Dungeons & Dragons
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...
Podcast 81 - The Psychology of Digital Sales
Thank you for supporting me on Patreon! There are like SEVEN ads you won't hear because you're a patron.In this episode, 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 st...
Podcast 80 - The State of eSports Research
Thank you for supporting me on Patreon!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 ...
Using Social Proof to Battle Toxic Behavior
How can we use one classic finding in the persuasion literature to combat toxic behavior in games?Thanks for being a Patreon supporter! If you want to see the text version of this post, click here!
Podcast 79 - Video Game Nostalgia
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.Audio Credits:“Robot Motivat...
Using VR Games as Pain Management
Why video games are a great solution for the difficult problem of pain management. Want to read the text version of this story? Perform clicking motions here!Thanks for being a Patreon supporter!
Podcast 78 - Critical Role, D&D, and Transformative Play
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?Audio Credits: “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Beauty Flow by Kevin Maclea...
How to Give a Dungeon Master Feedback Like a Pro
Thanks for being a Patreon supporter! Here's your bonus micro-podcast.How do you best give feedback to a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master about how to improve their game?Click here if you'd rather read the text version.
