My Gaming Academia

How have Black cultures and Black players been represented in video games? How can we better represent Black culture, promote inclusion of the Black communities in major gaming spaces, and who are the organizations spearheading this effort? In this episode, Akil Fletcher joins Reza, Javon, and Eric to discuss these challenges.

Jeffrey Rousseau didn’t see enough Black voices in games journalism so he decided to become just that. In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric discuss Jeff’s exploration of the gaming industry and what really matters when it comes to diversity in gaming discussions.

Why do so many mobile games limit how much you can play in one session? Why does the concept of ranking up in PvP games seem so daunting? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric review how cognitively ingrained ‘Loss Aversion’ is, how it permeates every game genre, and how game developers use it in positive (and sometimes negative) ways.

How has poverty been reflected and researched as it relates to video games? Are there common misconceptions or ways gamers engage in the concept of poverty? In this episode, featured guest Dr. Adam Crowley discusses this research in his latest book, Representations of Poverty in Video Games.

Do you ever feel like you don’t know what game, class, or build to play? Why is it so hard to choose? Does having infinite choices always make for a better gaming experience? When, or at what point, do options begin to feel overwhelming, and why does that happen? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric explore how choice paralysis and cognitive overload impact gamers.

What do video games have to do with therapy? How can video games be used in a therapeutic setting? When is it beneficial for parents, therapists, or peers in general to involve video games when engaging with their loved ones? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric explore how guest speaker Meghan Powers Armstrong conducts her practice at Geek Therapy, using gaming to treat patients.

Do you recall seeing aspects of your culture appear in video games? Did the digital representation reflect your own cultural background or upbringing? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric discuss examples of cultural representation in video games, when it can become problematic as appropriation, and what both developers and gamers can do to stay respectful of diverse cultures.

Several times we’ve discussed experiences with people who play games heavily or with people who are involved in gaming on a daily basis. How do we broach the topic of gaming with those who aren’t as familiar? How can general assumptions about gaming hobbyists be misconstrued, and how do we address that? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric discuss how to handle the topic of being “into gaming” with someone who isn’t familiar with the space, or who might have a negative preconception of the hobby.

Welcome to 2022! In this episode, Reza, Eric, and Javon review some of their favorite topics from some of their favorite episodes over the years. Thanks to all of you listeners for supporting My Gaming Academia, and we’re looking forward to more content to come!

In this episode Reza, Javon, and Eric are joined by Latoya Peterson. Latoya has been writing about games for the better part of two decades and has more recently led the development of the newly released game Insecure: The Come Up Game, based on the hit HBO show. This episode explores the experiences and challenges of what diverse representation looks like in the games industry, how ethnic representation is implemented into games, and how it has to be approached in the future.

Dr. Kishonna L. Gray guest features on My Gaming Academia to discuss the past two decades of her research of gaming culture! In this episode, Dr. Gray, Eric, Javon, and Reza talk about the process of pursuing a research topic not universally respected by traditional research departments, how to approach studying the digital gaming population, as well as other aspects of video game-related culture.

Dread it. Run from it. Fear and horror still arrives. What makes things scary? Why do people seek out a fearful experience and what’s its appeal? How is horror in video games different from horror in other media forms? In this episode, Eric, Javon, and Reza discuss horror in video games, what techniques define the genre, and what it does to our psyche.

Collector’s edition. Limited edition. Limited event times. I don’t need it...I NEED IT! For quite some time, the games industry has used the marketing strategy of scarcity to help sell games and in-game items. Such a strategy is not unique to games. However, how do we as gamers think about scarcity? Is scarcity simply a manipulative tactic in which to get players to spend more time and money? Is there something more beyond the obvious? In this episode, Eric, Javon, and Reza discuss the root effects of these tactics and how they influence gamer behavior, social status, and the gaming ecosystem.

Ever catch yourself in an online match just to mumble to yourself, “Dang. I got caught doing this move too much” or something similar? Sounds like you or your opponent became conditioned. Whether you’re logging on every day for a login reward, excited to see the ping that your friends are online, or can’t go to sleep because your roommate’s keyboard isn’t clacking during spring break; we all have experienced conditioning when gaming. In this episode, Eric, Javon, and Reza talk about the psychology behind conditioning, the intricacies of conditioning, and what conditioning looks like when applied to videogames.

It is one thing to be a player of video games, and it is another thing to be a creator of video games. What leads someone to want to develop games? How does one make that journey? What are some of the social and psychological dynamics one may encounter entering and rising within the industry? In this episode, Eric, Javon, and Reza speak with game developer John Diaz as Diaz discusses the story of his career, as well as his experiences with culture, representation, and mental health, in the gaming industry.

Whether it be tournaments, anime conventions, or even a local bar gathering, these events are spaces in which individuals with interests related to gaming and anime come together to share knowledge and express their fandom. What is the process that develops online interactions into offline communal gatherings, and why are they so powerful for fans? In this episode, Eric, Javon, Reza discuss their experiences of attending gaming and anime-related events, and how socialization, identity, and online and offline relationships/interactions play a role.

What defines a streaming community? What kinds of social interactions and relationships do streamers and their communities gain and have to deal with? In this episode, Javon, Eric, and Reza, with the help of streamer guests Qqobes33 & Soongdubu, tackle these questions, as well as explore why growing their communities has been so fulfilling for them. https://www.twitch.tv/qqobes33 https://www.twitch.tv/soongdubu

Featuring our first ever guest speaker Stephen a.k.a. Clenoic, in this episode, we discuss the formation and creation of communities in gaming culture by diving a little deeper into the world of speedrunning. How was this community, and communities like it, formed in the first place, and how do they continue to evolve around their flagship events? Javon, Eric, Reza, and Stephen review these topics and discuss where communities can go from their positions today.

No one likes overtime, but game developers are often forced to work ridiculous amounts beyond the standard 40-hour work week. This culture is not only inhumane, but also debilitates developers’ psycho-physiological health and doesn’t necessarily guarantee high quality products. In this episode, Javon, Eric, and Reza discuss how these situations come about and how we might be able to address them.

Communities are an important but often under-appreciated part of gaming and being a gamer. In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric talk about how they’ve found their gaming communities, the different ways their communities interact, and the involvement developers have in the competitive communities of their games.

The influence of violence is perhaps the single most common topic about video games discussed by the mainstream media. What are the possible concerns surrounding playing or purchasing violent video games? How do we navigate all of the data and research? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric dive into the ocean of research around video game violence.

Empathizing and connecting with a story and its characters is a key part in being immersed in a story. What elements and mechanics of a game make your stories feel more immersive? What are examples in video games that drive home what it feels like to be in the shoes of the character? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric discuss the ways video games evoke empathy and their effects on a player’s experience.

Video games offer a completely novel way of interacting with their audience compared to any other form of pre-existing media: dynamic storytelling. How does this affect how developers craft the game’s narrative flow? How do they approach storytelling in this way? How are characters and their stories presented, represented, and developed? How does the audience connect to these aspects of a game? In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric explore these questions and more.

Toxicity in games, especially online competitive games, is pretty commonplace and something gamers are all too familiar with. If nobody enjoys toxicity, why does it happen? What are ways to combat it? (“Is only game, why you have to be mad?”) In this episode, Reza, Javon, and Eric discuss these questions and their own experiences with toxicity.

From spending a couple of dollars to several thousand, loot boxes and microtransactions are the foremost monetary systems implemented in modern games. Want to try your luck at getting that limited skin, or better yet your anime PNG waifu? Go ahead, but you better have the cash! However, could this behavior be considered gambling, is it dangerous, and why do we do it? In this episode Reza, Javon, and Eric explore these questions, monetary models, and more.

Losing in games happens A LOT, but how does losing in games affect your mentality? What kinds of ramifications does it have on your social circles and your sense of self worth? In this episode Reza, Javon, and Eric explore those questions, the general idea of losing in games, and more.

From GTA to Need For Speed, and even Skyrim, police are common place in video games. Whether you play as them, with them, or against them, their depiction may inadvertently relate to how they're perceived in the real world and vice versa. In this episode Reza, Javon, and Eric hold a preliminary discussion of how police and authority figures are seen in video games. 

With quarantine and COVID-19, gaming has seen some interesting developments and has played a huge part in both our social behaviors and how we conduct many of the activities we used to engage in. Considering everything that's happened, especially the explosion of Animal Crossing, it kind of makes you wish you got a Switch; at least Javon wishes he had.

Research is a huge part of Psychology and Sociology, but what does that have to do with gaming? Join us as we discuss how research relates to gaming, what makes good research, and what you can look out for and do in your own research.

Welcome to My Gaming Academia, a podcast where we discuss gaming with respect to Psychology and Sociology concepts. Join your hosts, Eric, Javon, and Reza, as they explore, relate, question, and debate various gaming related topics through the lenses of Psychology and Sociology. In our very first episode we give background on ourselves, why we made this podcast, and lightly touch on some concepts we want to bring to forward for discussion in future episodes.