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