VideoGames: Brain Gain or Drain? – Consciousness and the Avatar

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Denise Doyle, of the School of Art and Design at the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom is my guest this time. I met up with Denise at the April 2012 “Towards a Science of Consciousness” meeting in Tucson, AZ. She is a contributor to my forthcoming book, “Video Game Play and Consciousness” from NOVA Science Publishers. Her chapter and topic of our conversation is entitled, “Transitional Spaces: Consciousness, the Imagination, and the Avatar-Mediated Experience”. As an artist and scholar she brings a unique perspective to the investigation of video game play and realities. We consider how remarkably easy it has become for us all to enter into the online virtual worlds in our “avatar” bodies.