Headshots: Psychology + Gaming

#24: May is Mental Health Awareness Month so Geek Therapist Lara Taylor joins Josué to talk about video games and mental health services. They address some of the misconceptions about video game “addiction” and discuss how they’ve used video games in therapy. — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona Headshots […] The post Mental Health Awareness Month: Video Games and Therapy appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#23: Kelli and Josué discuss how games can be a part of a much bigger story told through different media. Think of how Star Wars and Halo stories are told through books and movies in addition to games. Do stories in other formats make your play experience better and vice versa? Notes: Transmedia Storytelling on […] The post Transmedia = More Story appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#22: We discuss the mental state of flow in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with special guest Lauren Keller. Lots of love for BotW on this episode. You can reach Lauren on Twitter: @CHICKENDINOSAUR — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona Headshots is a member of the Geek […] The post Breath of the Wild Flow appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#21: On this episode we review our recent PAX East panel which was our take on Cards Against Humanity, using psychology and gaming concepts, played live in front of an audience. It was tons of fun and now you can play at home too! Here is the link to the exact game we used during […] The post Cards Against Psychology appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#20: Kelli and Josué try to objectively explain why gamers prefer one video game console over another by looking at their own reasons for being on their respective teams. We fail miserably, by the way. Kelli says she bleeds green, throwing all objectivity out the window. Where do you stand in the console war and […] The post Love and Betrayal in the Console War appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

19: This episode is an interview with Asi Burak, CEO of Power Play, the Chairman of the organization Games for Change (G4C), and co-author of Power Play: How Video Games Can Save the World. Notes: PAX East panel information – http://east.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/cards-vs-psychology. Asi Burak – http://asiburak.com/ Power Play (Amazon Link) – http://a.co/5gKIqeU — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on […] The post How Video Games Can Save the World w/ Asi Burak appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#18: There is a genre of games that is all about the love! Kelli and Josué explore the fascinating world of affection games. Get ready for lots of talk of kissing and flirt lasers. Notes: Affection games | DiGRA – http://bit.ly/2knFOey — Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona Headshots is a […] The post Affection Games – Press A to Kiss appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#17: Kelli and Josué discuss games that have taken on political significance in different ways. Sometimes a character becomes a symbol or a game takes on a new meaning because of current events. We think this is more common in other mediums so we explore how it can happen in games. Can you think of […] The post When Games Become Politically Significant appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#16: What is a self-care game? Is there a Self-Care Game genre? Kelli and Josué discuss self-care in-depth, how games can (and cannot) be used for self-care, and why more self-care games sounds like a good idea. Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona Notes: Waypoint Radio – http://bit.ly/2iG3HrQ Superbetter by Jane McGonigal – https://www.superbetter.com […] The post Self-Care Games appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

Ep. 15: Like Return of the Jedi, the third installment of our PsychTech Superbetter Fan Club Book Club is the best yet! We cover chapters 9 – 12, rant passionately about feedback loops, discuss the importance of allies, explore the power of identity, and share some of the ways they’ve been getting Superbetter. *This episode […] The post Superbetter Fan Club Book Club #3 (of 3) appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

Ep. 14: The Superbetter love continues! We cover chapters 5-8 of Jane McGonigal’s Superbetter and dive deep into the first four rules of how to be gameful: 1) Challenge yourself, 2) collect and activate power-ups, 3) find and battle the bad guys, 4) seek out and complete quests. *This episode was originally published on 10/7/15 […] The post Superbetter Fan Club Book Club #2 (of 3) appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

Ep. 13: We’re diving into Jane McGonigal’s Superbetter this week. It’s a long book so we’re taking our time. We cover chapters 1-4, Josué proposes some questionable practices, and Kelli gets to process her feelings about playing with strangers. *This episode was originally published on 9/23/15 as part of PsychTech. Please forgive any audio issues. […] The post Superbetter Fan Club Book Club #1 (of 3) appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#12: Kelli just completed a Master’s degree in Game Design (… she already had a PsyD in Clinical Psychology… ) so we talk about what that was like and the games she has made. We also discuss her most recent game (and capstone project). Spoiler: It’s psychology-related. Kelli has indeed earned the title of Dr. […] The post Dr. Game Dev appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#11: In a recent interview, Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, said that in the future video games will move from being discrete to indiscrete experiences, possibly being a part of everything we do. Kelli isn’t having it but Josué thinks Wilson is on to something. Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast […] The post Will your life be a video game? appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#10: A few articles recently discussed an act of sexual assault in VR from the gamer and developer’s perspectives so we discuss how not ok it is to sexually assault someone in VR (or anywhere else), why this can happen in VR more easily than in other games, and what we think of the developer’s […] The post How Do You Deal With Sexual Assault and Harassment in Virtual Reality? appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#9: Josué and special guest Ali Mattu discuss what new experiences they’ve had so far in virtual reality, including new feelings that were much harder to experience before VR. Games discussed include Batman Arkham VR, Thumper, EVE Valkyrie, and more.   Visit Ali at www.BrainKnowsBetter.com and follow him on Twitter at @AliMattu.   Visit us […] The post VR Brings Us New Experiences and Feelings appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#8: We discuss season 3, episode 2 of Black Mirror titled “Playtest.” Full spoilers for the episode! If you are a big fan of Black Mirror, join us for deep dives of every episode on PsychTech.   Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.   Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona The post Black Mirror 3.2: Playtest appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#7: Plato thought the pencil would ruin learning… Our guess is that VR games are the next big thing that is likely to be blamed for the end of civilization. Join us for a discussion on the actual effects of violence in video games and how that discussion will change as we step into virtual […] The post Plato’s VR Pencil appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

#6: Josué and Kelli dig deep into the interactive narrative game Depression Quest and examine how it can raise empathy and understanding about depression.   Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.   Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap @JosueACardona The post How Game Mechanics Build Empathy for Mental Health Issues appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.

# 5: Josué and special guest Dr. Ali Mattu share their recent experience playing the VR game Star Trek Bridge Crew. It’s Star Trek’s 50th anniversary so we’re celebrating with an all Star Trek discussion about VR, holodecks, collaboration, and shared presence. LLAP!   Visit us at www.HeadshotsPodcast.com.   Follow us on Twitter: @HeadshotsCast @KelliNDunlap […] The post Shared Presence Brings Us One Step Closer to the Holodeck appeared first on Headshots: The Psychology and Gaming Podcast.