Archive for the ‘Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain?’ Category
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Visual Arts and Gaming
This week we’ll be discussing the relationship between the visual arts and gaming. Here I do not mean the graphic design of a game but rather how might gaming influence the artist in us all or perhaps increase our appreciation of the arts. My guest is John Sharp, who is with the Savannah College of Art and Design as well as Metagame. As an avid gamer himself, he brings a unique combination of backgrounds to this discussion. I was intrigued by his talk the “Secret (Art) History of Games” at a recent gaming conference. Dr. Sharp, an art historian, and I had a wide ranging conversation speaking about how gaming can increase our appreciation of the classic arts. We also addressed the use of visual art elements in games. In this show you’ll learn the challenges of including the arts in gaming as well the opportunities. We talked about two current art reality shows, “Work of Art” and “Face Off” and how they may signal an increased interest in the arts in popular culture.
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Tags: art history, dr. jayne gackenbach, dr. john sharp, face off, game history, gamer culture, jayne gackenbach, john sharp, metagame, online talk radio, pop culture, popular culture, savannah college of art and design, secret art history of games, video game art, video game art history, video game history, video game news, video game study, video game visual art, video games, video games brain gain or drain, video games research, visual art in video games, work of art | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Music and Video Games
Dr. William Gibbons, Assistant Professor of Musicology at Texas Christian University, chats with me about the role of music in video games. He comes from a classical music background to inform his work in the music associated with gaming. Dr. Gibbons primary research interests are opera studies and musical nationalism as well as music in video games. He has published on these topics in various professional journals and is currently co-editing a book which is a collection of essays on music in video games. In our conversation we discussed not only the shot in the arm that games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band gave the music industry but also the seriousness of the music expression in video games. You’ll learn how at times music can detract while at other times, like in film, it helps to set a tone for the emotional landscape of the game. This music scholar then explains about his research on how the science-fiction world of the video game Bioshock presents a dystopian vision of mid-century America. You’ll find out that though the game features an award-winning original score, its soundtrack also borrows extensively from the older popular music. Dr. Gibbons explains how on one level, this borrowed music signifies the time period evoked by the game, grounding the action in the mid-century despite the presence of futuristic technology. He points out that this creates a dichotomy between the music’s optimism and the grim environment of Bioshock. We also chat about the various video game music concerts and their effects on music appreciation for gamers like Video Games Live.
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Tags: bioshock music, bioshock original score, dr. jayne gackenbach, dr. william gibbons, gamer appreciation, jayne gackenbach, music in video games, video game appreciation, video game music, video game music concerts, video game news, video game study, video games, video games and the music industry, video games brain gain or drain, video games live, video games research, william gibbons | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Self-discovery with Mindbloom
Our interview is with Chris Hewett, Founder & Executive Producer of a new social media and self-development tool, Mindbloom. A long time game designer and developer, Chris tells the story of the birth of Mindbloom. This free-to-play game is designed to inspire people to define what’s important, discover what motivates them, and take meaningful daily actions in all areas of their life. By choosing a series of images and music the player associates with life goals and then sharing these the participant creates an online space where they can go to clarify their direction, get inspiration or simple explore. This is, of course, another in a series of online web and phone apps that are game like and use social media in part. It can be considered an example of gamification which we have talked about before on this show or how apps on our phones or online are improving how we manage and enjoy our lives. But Chris points out that you can do the Mindbloom experience entirely on your own.
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Tags: chris hewett, chris hewett mindbloom, dr. jayne gackenbach, finding clarity, jayne gackenbach, mind game review, mindbloom, mindbloom app, mindbloom life game, mindbloom review, phone app news, phone app research, self-development, self-help, social media, social media self-development, video game news, video game research, video game study, video games brain gain or drain | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Casual Games for Improved Thinking in the Elderly
This interview is with Garth Chouteau who oversees all surveys and research related to the health benefits of video games at PopCap Games. A casual game is one which is easy to learn, does not take much time to play, yet occupies enough attention to distract one from day to day ruminations. Previous casual game research we have spoken about on this show showed that casual game play is associated with relaxation as well as decreased depression and anxiety. This time in our conversation with Garth Chouteau we talk about other research done on PopCap games which may help enhance the thinking process in the elderly and may also be associated with bonding between adults and children. In this show you’ll find out why casual game play may result the sorts of cognitive improvements more commonly associated with video game play of the action type, like first person shooters. You’ll also find out what features of casual games help reduce anxiety for some while increases it for others?
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Tags: bejeweled, bookworm adventures, brain benefits of casual games, casual games, casual games anxiety, casual games benefits, casual games depression, casual games pros and cons, casual games research, cognitive improvements, cognitive research, dr. jayne gackenbach, garth chouteau, garth chouteau popcap, health benefits of casual games, health benefits of video games, jayne gackenbach, plants vs. zombies, popcap games, popcap games interview, popcap games news, popcap games research, popcap news, pros and cons of casual games, senior depression, senior thinking process, video game news, video game study, video games, video games brain gain or drain, video games enhance thinking, video games research | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Hello Avatar Author Interviewed
This is Dr. Jayne Gackenbach and this week on Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? we’ll be discussing avatars. What is an avatar? Classically they have been our characters in video games or in virtual worlds like Second Life, but our guest argues that avatars are now our online footprint. Beth Coleman, who received her PhD in comparative literature at New York University, is currently with Harvard and MIT. She is the author of “Hello Avatar” a fascinating examination of the Avatar we have by now all created online. In our conversation Beth explained the three main themes of her book, Hello Avatar. You’ll learn how our experiences online are all about real time, co-presence and x-reality. In her book she talks about how American’s are reporting more loneliness in some survey’s yet also how rich and rewarding their online relationships can be. You’ll also learn in this show how our shopping experiences at the local mall are about to change with the increasing use of augmented reality. Here is my interview with Dr. Beth Coleman.
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VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Games for Health Journal Founded
This time we will be talking with the editor of a new journal devoted to games for health, Bill Ferguson. Premiering in February of 2012, Games for Health: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, will offer original peer-reviewed research articles, as well as industry insights and developments. Additionally, interviews and commentary on the games for health initiative will be included in its pages. While there are by now several organizations, conferences and journals focused upon game development and game effects, this is the first journal with a specific mission to examine how games can be used for health related purposes. This is something that has come up before on this show in several interviews through the Games for Health Conference, but a journal gives an area an authenticity and respectability that simply meeting and exchanging ideas does not allow. Don’t get me wrong meetings are important and in this case they were part of the development process, but once a major professional journal publisher decides to go forward with a journal this targets a new era in such research and application.
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Tags: bill ferguson, dr. jayne gackenbach, games for health, games for health conference, games for health journal, games for health: research development and clinical applications, games journal, jayne gackenbach, video game applications, video game development, video game research, video game science, video game study, video games brain gain or drain, video games conference, video games journal | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Attention, Memory and Information Processing Advantages to Gaming
In this show we’ll be talking about various perceptual and cognitive advantages to gaming. Dr. Walter Boot is the director of the Attention and Training laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University. In his lab they have tested expert video game players versus newbie’s on a variety of attentional, memory and information processing tasks. This included training on a specific game which is important from a methodological point when trying to discover if gaming improves attention. You’ll learn about the advantages and disadvantages to such lifelong attentional training by playing video games. This includes military and safety applications. In addition you’ll learn how gaming may be able to slow the cognitive aging decline.
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Tags: attention, benefits of video games, cognitive agine decline, dr. walter boot, gaming, gaming benefits, gaming improves attention, hardcore gaming, information processing, jayne gackenbach, memory, military games, military video games, video game benefits, video game health benefits, video game news, video game research, video game safety, video game study, video games good, videogames: brain gain or drain?, walter boot | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Military and Gaming
In this show the use of games in the military is explored. In a recent study in the journal, Military Psychology, it was found that 43% of their over 10,000 soldier respondents reported gaming on a weekly basis. These individuals were largely male, young, and of the lower ranks. Given that almost all young people have played or currently play some form of video game, this figure is likely to grow. My guest is Jeremy Hsu, who is the senior writer at Innovation News Daily. I asked Jeremy to have this conversation with me about military gaming uses as he has interviewed various military researchers and personnel about virtual reality and gaming in the military. While neither of us are military personnel, in this interview we cover a range of topics from training using virtual reality type simulators to personal use of games by soldiers. You’ll find out how gaming helps soldiers deal with the stressors associated with deployment and about the original video game developed a decade ago by the U.S. Army to help in recruitment.
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Tags: innovation news daily, jayne gackenbach, jeremy hsu, military games, military gaming, military psychology, military simulator, military video games, reality simulator, video game development, video game research, video game stress, video game study, video games: brain gain or drain, virtual reality games, virtual reality gaming, virtual reality simulator | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Horror in Film and Video Games
In this show I am talking with Dr. Barry Grant, who is a professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. Our topic is horror in film and video games. As an expert and teacher in film genres, science fiction, and horror, as well as a game developer, Dr. Grant has an informed perspective on why horror is such a popular genre across various media. In this interview we discuss its history in mythology and culture as well as query its wide popularity today ranging from zombies and vampires to surprise outcomes. You’ll learn why sometimes we laugh at horror films and how their import into video games offers new horizons for developers. Finally, I ask Dr. Grant, ‘is the popularity of the horror genre today an indication of fears of a failing society?’
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VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Personality and Video Game Violence
Dr. Patrick Markey director of the Interpersonal Lab at Villanova University is interviewed. He has examined how personality can be a predictor of aggression resulting from gaming. He talks about three personality traits that are particularly likely to predict negative outcomes of violent video game play. You’ll learn what these are as well as how does situation affect aggressive modeling after gaming? In other words, what are the effects of family and peers? In addition to effects of personality on aggression, we also chat about some of his other work on media and interpersonal behaviour. You’ll learn about the unique personalities of cheaters and if that cluster applies to cheating in games. Finally, the tech bubble, that many of us find ourselves in, is discussed in terms of gaming. Are gamers alone as they sit with others or are they truly “with others” but online?
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Tags: casual gamers, dr patrick markey, gamer behavior, gamer personality, hardcore gamers, jayne gakenbach, online gaming, patrick markey, tech bubble, video game personality, video game research, video game study, video games, video games in the media, video games: brain gain or drain, villanova university, violence in video games | Posted under Video Games: Brain Gain or Drain? |
