Wednesday, August 29, 2012

EXP Podcast #186: Playing with Psychology

Image from Flickr user One From RM
What does the way we play games say about our real life behavior? It's a question Lore Sjöberg poses in a recent article about the way our external psychology manifests itself in our virtual avatars. We touch on everything from behavioral quirks to personal notions of justice, so hopefully by the end you have a better idea of what makes Jorge and me tick. Feel like a little bit of therapeutic sharing? As always, we welcome your thoughts in the comments!

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
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Show notes:

- Runtime: 32 min 22 sec
- "Alt Text: It’s Time for Videogame Psychotherapy," by Lore By Lore Sjöberg, via Wired
- Music provided by Brad Sucks
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7 comments:

  1. Rowan Idris CarmichaelAugust 30, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    Now this looks like it will be interesting.

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  2. papaSmurfSeptember 2, 2012 at 12:28 AM

    Great podcast! It's always fascinating to hear what quirky things people do in videogames. Much like Jorge, I'll almost always play as a female character when given the chance, I'm really not sure why.

    Just a quick note, though. Patches, the NPC from Demon's Souls that Scott talked about, didn't actually disappear into the ether. Another NPC that you encounter in a cage earlier in the game secretly murders Patches and everyone else in the hub world if you set him free. He is a huge jerk.

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  3. Rowan Idris CarmichaelSeptember 2, 2012 at 9:10 PM

    hmmm, player quirks I have...
    Well, I used to feel like I had to do everything, but now, I'm incredibly focused on TIME optimisation, not resource optimisation. So as much as possible in many games, I'll avoid doing anything I don't have to do, or doesn't benefit me more by doing than otherwise.

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  4. Scott JusterSeptember 7, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    Wait, so you're telling me that I didn't miss out on my revenge, but was actually robbed of it?! That's even worse! :-)

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  5. Scott JusterSeptember 7, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    The older I get, the more I find myself doing something similar. So many things to do/games to play, so little time!

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  6. DavidFebruary 5, 2014 at 2:52 PM

    I'm another guy who plays as female characters primarily. For me, it started with fighting games. One reason I do this is because I prefer quick, agile characters, which is usually how the female characters in fighting games are.


    Also, I tend to role play as myself, and not really spend too much time experimenting with other ways of being. In this sense, I think I can relate to some female video game characters more than the male ones. I've just never felt drawn to the male ideal as portrayed in video games and other media.

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  7. Scott JusterFebruary 17, 2014 at 11:17 AM

    Interesting point about the traditional mechanics that are connected with gender roles. You mean you don't see reflections of yourself in the hulking mass of Marcus Fenix's neck?

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