Track 1: Games & Psychology

TRACK 1: GAMES & PSYCHOLOGY

This first track, facilitated by instructor, Sherry Jones, will offer readings that focus on the relationship between games and psychology. The relationship will be explored in two ways: 1) We will explore some psychological principles that can help explain why games influence our thinking and behavior in certain ways; 2) We will discuss how game designers, from both commercial and indie game studios, are employing psychological principles to inform their game design process. For those who are interested in incorporating games in education, learning about how psychology informs game design can help you understand how games can influence the learning environment in profound ways.

Sherry Jones will feature Open Access (OA) academic articles and a variety of multimodal texts to facilitate readings and discussions.

WEEKLY SESSIONS AND WEBINARS OFFERED

We offer weekly reading sessions and webinars to help facilitate reader's understanding and discussion on various topics in game studies. Here are the dates that the weekly sessions and webinars are offered:

• Nov. 9, 2015 - Week 1 - "Game Design: Creating Psychological Experiences" is open.

• Nov. 12, 2015 - Week 1 - Live Webinar is available (recorded)!

• Nov. 16, 2015 - Week 2 - "Narrative Design and the Psychology of Emotions and Immersion in Games" is open.

• Nov. 19, 2015 - Week 2 - Live Webinar #1 is available (recorded)!

• Nov. 23, 2015 - Week 2 - Live Webinar #2 is available (recorded)!

• Dec. 3, 2015 - Week 3 - "The Psychology of the Player & Game Character Design and Representation" is open.

• Dec. 6, 2015 - Week 3 - Live Webinar is available (recorded)!