The Psychology of Video Games

The Psychology of Everything

by Celia Hodent

What impact can video games have on us as players? How does psychology influence video game creation? Why do some games become cultural phenomena?
The Psychology of Video Games introduces the curious reader to the relationship between psychology and video games from the perspective of both game makers and players. Assuming no specialist knowledge, this concise, approachable guide is a starter book for anyone intrigued by what makes video games engaging and what is their psychological impact on gamers. It digests the research exploring the benefits gaming can have on players in relation to education and healthcare, considers the concerns over potential negative impacts such as pathological gaming, and concludes with some ethics considerations.
With gaming being one of the most popular forms of entertainment today, The Psychology of Video Games shows the importance of understanding the human brain and its mental processes to foster ethical and inclusive video games.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Game Design, Games, Gaming, Video Games, Design

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2020

About the author

Celia Hodent, PhD is an expert in game UX (user experience) and cognitive psychology. She is a consultant, speaker, and acclaimed author of The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX can Impact Video Game Design & The Psychology of Video Games.

Reviews

[Nima · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب خوبی که به زبان ساده نوشته شده و اطلاعات مقدماتی و بسیار خوبی درباره‌ی کاری که ویدیو گیم‌ها با روان و مغز ما انجام میدن رو توضیح میده. خوندنش لذت بخش بود و آدم دلیل خیلی از اتفاقاتی که توی گیم‌ها میوفته رو متوجه میشه که کمک میکنه گیمر آگاه‌تری باشی مثلا ساده گول dark patterns هایی که کمپانی‌ها برای بیشینه کردن سودشون انجام میدن رو نخوری یا حداقل کمتر گول بخوری.
متاسفانه راجع به گیم‌ها خیلی اطلاعات نادرستی در جامعه وجود داره که با توجه به مخاطبان زیادی که ویدیوگیم‌ها دارن نیاز هست که این اطلاعات اصلاح بشن و با اطلاعات دارای پشتیبانی علمی جایگزین بشن تا بتونیم از گیم بازی کردن لذت ببریم و آسیب‌های احتمالی رو هم به کمترین حد برسونیم.
در کل اگه دوست دارین از دنیای ویدیوگیم‌ها بیشتر سر در بیارید این کتابو بهتون پیشنهاد میکنم. البته کتاب ترجمه نشده ولی نثر ساده‌ای داره. شاید یه روزی خودم ترجمش کنم. 🙂

[Luke Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Psychology of video games but I often found that it simply came down to "there's not enough evidence / research on the topic". I think it's a good point to bounce off of to figure out where to research next. I particularly found the second chapter interesting when talking about how UX Researchers design and test for good UX.

[Mateusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing starter book for people that enter the industry but also for curious people that know only a bit about video games and nothing about psychology behind it.

[Antonio Hollerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We first need to consider how the brain works to understand the psychology of what makes games fun” (16). This book explains goes deep into the psychology of the mind to help explain the purpose of games and why people enjoy them so much. The book covers the type of mindset game developers have while developing games to better understand how people can make such enjoyable games. “We design a system or an environment in the hope that users will have a specific experience when interacting with it” (33). The fact that companies design games to our liking using a psychological lens is one reason why we like games so much, but the main reason is motivation to actually play the game. “We do not accomplish any action unless we are motivated to do so” (41). Us as people expect some type of reward from buying or investing time into a video game. Most of the time the reward is entertainment or a feeling of competence when we cleared all the levels.
This is a great book to try to pick if you are interested not only to learn how our brain interact with video game but to also get some general knowledge on how our brain perceive the world. The in-depth explanation of the limitations of our minds will change your perspective of reality.

[Wing · Rating 3 out of 5]

As it’s well under than a hundred pages, don’t expect any depth or breadth. Very little of what the general reader doesn’t already know are discussed. However, the book is still worth reading because it highlights the importance of reading scientific literature with care and interpreting results with nuances. Oversimplifying issues will never get you anywhere meaningfully. The book actually talks more about psychological processes in general than those about video games per se. Overall quite expensive for such a short book but still sufficiently informative.

[Arthi Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a lot of inspiration from Celia Hodent in writing a research paper on the ethical complications that the video game industry is often overlooking with regards to their UX design. Hodent does an incredible job of explaining the breadth of the industry and how much of an impact the products have on the audience. Her experience is really inspiring.

[Mengrelaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and fun read! The chapters are laid out very logically, thus one can skip around and read the chapters that are truly to their interest first, without having problems comprehending or experiencing gaps.

The fact the book is small does not mean it is incomplete. Quite the opposite, it is packed with information. Highly recommended.

[Minda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book to read if you’re interested in the field of psychology with relevance to games however this field is still growing with a lot of the research points being concluded with “further research needs to be conducted”.

I recommend this if you play games as well.

[Diego Coiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for designers and gamers

As a game design student, this book introduced me to many new aspects about game making. It was a great read, really easy to follow yet packed with info. Will read more of Hodent!

[Vito · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a book for people that want to know more about videogames, how publishers use their strategies, and the possible impact on gamers. It's a short book and easy to read. I liked it!

[Suryashekhar Biswas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction for someone like me who's new to the study of the video game industry or the cultural influence it exerts.

[Andreas Hennig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veldig spennende felt, og denne boka presenterer nye funn og relevant forskning på spillpsykologi. Liker veldig godt at den holder seg både akademisk og konsis. Anbefales!

[Yu Guo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good and very clear. Suitable for beginners who want to learn basic game psychology

[Philippe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intéressant mais laisse a vouloir plus d'études probantes sur le sujet.

[Pandji Putranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and concise, especially when you want to know about the UX mindset in video game development.

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[d · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a soulless generic writeup that lacks to make me care about what she is saying, lacks depth.

[JN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction au lien entre la psychologie et les jeux vidéo. Point de vue de la psychologie cognitive sur l’expérience de l’utilisateur afin d’offrir non seulement un jeu agréable, mais aussi engageant et éthique! Concis, ce livre est un excellent point de départ pour quiconque désire en apprendre sur le design UX!