From the sacred rituals of online communities to the moral dilemmas of post-apocalyptic worlds, this section explores how games mirror — and shape — human psychology. Discover how cognition, emotion, identity, and storytelling collide in digital spaces, revealing what play can teach us about ourselves, our culture, and the worlds we build together.
How to Use CBT in D'n'D: Applying Real-World Techniques to Handle Fear, Anxiety, and Challenges
Learn how to incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques into your Dungeons & Dragons game. Explore how breathing exercises, mental rehearsal, and cognitive restructuring can help players handle fear, anxiety, and other challenges while enriching the role-playing experience.
Can CBT Help Improve Your Game Performance?
Discover how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can enhance your esports performance. Learn techniques like mental rehearsal, breathing exercises, and cognitive restructuring to improve focus, manage stress, and boost confidence in high-pressure gaming situations.
Realism in Modern FPS Games vs Actual Combat
Explore how modern FPS games like Call of Duty and Battlefield balance realism and psychology. Learn why developers simplify combat, injury, and teamwork to create immersive yet mentally engaging gameplay experiences.
From The Battlefield to Living Room: How Your Gaming Console Powers Modern Warfare
Explore how Microsoft, Unity, NVIDIA, and other gaming giants link consoles and games to military operations, shaping conflicts abroad and raising ethical questions for players about the impact of their entertainment choices.
The Pyramid Stained Red: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Vampires of the World of Darkness
What happens to Maslow's hierarchy when you're undead? Explore the dark psychology of Vampire: The Masquerade's Kindred, where survival is blood, love is possession, and self-actualization is damnation.
So You Think You Can Stream
Unpack the hidden psychology of live streaming. Discover the extreme cognitive load, multitasking demands, and complex parasocial relationships that make Twitch streaming a high-skill job.
Blood and Belonging: How Vampire: The Masquerade Replaces Race with Trauma-Based Subculture
Explore how Vampire: The Masquerade replaces fantasy racial archetypes with trauma-based clans, reshaping identity through culture and choice.
Call of Duty Prop Hunt: A Psychological Strategy Guide
Master Prop Hunt in Call of Duty with this fun, psychology-backed guide. Learn smart hiding tricks, hunter strategies, and playful tactics for casual players of all skill levels.
The Iterated Vengeance Dilemma: A Critical Analysis of Forgiveness, Trauma, and Humanizing the Enemy in The Last of Us Part II
This in-depth research paper analyses The Last of Us Part II through psychology, trauma theory, and game theory. Explore how narrative symmetry, empathy, and the iterated vengeance dilemma reveal the futility of revenge and the power of forgiveness in one of gaming’s most controversial stories.
The Painted World and the Price of Grief: Psychology at the End of Claire Obscur: Expedition 33
Explore the moral psychology of Claire Obscur: Expedition 33’s ending. From grief theory to AI ethics, discover how the choice between Maelle and Verso raises profound questions about illusion, truth, and the value of sentient life.
Game Pass Just Became Its Own Game… Backlog Simulator
Is Game Pass the best deal in gaming or just an endless backlog simulator? Explore the psychology of choice overload and how subscription services are changing the industry.
Romance as Reward: The Transactional Logic of Relationships in Video Games and Its Psychological Implications
Explore how video games portray romance through transactional mechanics and the psychological impact this may have on real-life relationships, intimacy, and social expectations.
Playing Through Identity: Max Caulfield and Adolescent Development
Explore adolescent identity formation through Max Caulfield in Life is Strange, using key psychological theories like Erikson, Marcia, and more.
Plural Panic: The Semiotic Peril of Peni Parker in the Digital Discourse Arena
This article somewhat tongue in cheek explores the linguistic and psychosocial implications of the pluralization of the character name “Peni Parker” from Marvel Rivals within digital discourse.
Breaking Down Barriers: How Video Game Accessibility Fosters Mental Well-being and Learning
Video game accessibility: supporting mental health and learning. Learn how inclusive features like customizable text & difficulty empower diverse players.
Fundamental Attribution Error in Multiplayer/PvP Video Games: A Cognitive Bias in Digital Competition
Explore how the Fundamental Attribution Error fuels toxicity and miscommunication in multiplayer and PvP video games. Learn how cognitive bias impacts gameplay, teamwork, and online gaming communities and how to counter it.
Press Start to Feel Better: Mood Management, Gamer Motivation, and the Psychology Behind Game Choices
Explore how Mood Management Theory, Bartle’s taxonomy, Nick Yee’s gamer motivations, and PETGaMo together reveal the psychology behind why players choose games to regulate moods and achieve psychological balance.
Lisa: The Painful and the Ethics of Ruin
Explore the brutal morality of Lisa: The Painful, an RPG that confronts trauma, addiction, and the ethics of survival in a world without redemption. A deep dive into guilt, control, and the cost of love.
Slay the Princess and the Ethics of Narrative Control
Explore the moral ambiguity and psychological depth of Slay the Princess, a surreal horror game that challenges player agency, ethical reasoning, and the illusion of choice.
Gaming the Mood: Emotion Management Through Video Games
How do video games help us manage stress and emotions? Explore the psychology of mood regulation through gaming genres and mechanics that promote emotional balance, empowerment, and well-being.