EXPLORING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PLAY
Research Approaches
At the Games & Society Lab, we consider various aspects of the psychology of players. These aspects include the ways in which games can:
- Invite players to inhabit different mental states and shifts in consciousness;
- Motivate players to take action in specific ways;
- Provide opportunities for players to gain new knowledge and train skills;
- Understand complex models, systems, and social dynamics through play;
- Encourage players to participate actively within specific environments;
- Create spaces where players can experiment with their expressions of identity, patterns of interaction, and structures of social organization; and
- Inspire players to experience a sense of belonging within a larger subcultural community.
Conceptual Frameworks
We invite research from a wide variety of conceptual frameworks related to the theory, design, and study of games with regard to psychology including, but not limited to:
| Social psychology Phenomenology Cognitive science Behaviorism |
Developmental psychology Educational psychology Experimental psychology |
Identity studies Critical psychology Consciousness Studies |
Depth psychology Existential psychology Psychodynamics |