Psycogaming, bringing psychology closer to the world of videogames

The research and the studies of psychology are increasingly permeating more areas of the market related to new technologies and cultural products.

The electronic entertainment industry is no exception, and that is why it is increasingly frequent teams of psychologists are incorporated into video game development plans or that offer hints and tips to help create fully immersive playable sensations. And we are not only talking about video games brain training, but almost any aspect is capable of being reinvented by psychologists dedicated to this interesting field.

Interview with Psycogaming

In Spain, one of these examples of entrepreneurship straddling basic psychology, the creation of videogames and the dissemination of the potential benefits that these can offer beyond leisure is the business Psycogaming, created in 2013 by Sergio Alloza and Marc Costal. We have set out to interview them to learn more about this relatively little-known marriage between psychology and video games.

Psychology and Mind: How did you start this project?

Psycogaming: Well, the initial idea came up during the last year of my degree. It was the second semester and we were not sure what we would do when we finished. Following a class, in which we were asked to try to unite our passion (whatever it was) with psychology, we began to ponder how to unite the broad field of psychology with the vast world of video game. And from that union came Psycogaming, a project that originally aimed to analyze videogames from a psychological point of view, but which has grown over time.

What is the aspect of videogames that interests you the most as psychologists?

Marc: I am very interested in the design aspect of the video game itself. Give background to the characters making them more consistent with the type of personality that you want to convey, find contextual flaws in the scenarios that can interfere with the immersion felt by the player, or even getting the emotional situations that occur in the plot of the video game to be consistent with the emotion that you want to do feel.

Sergio: Without a doubt, motivation and engagement techniques and the flow phenomenon. How a person can feel immersed in a video game and lose track of time, think and feel in a virtual world. And, in addition, how our brain to those routines and how certain abilities are intrinsically trained.

How have you been learning about the relationship between psychology and video games? Is there a book or magazine that you recommend?

PG: Well, from the beginning of the project and after finishing the degree, we realized that our training was going to be self-taught. As there were no postgraduate courses on this very specific subject, we began to train, studying the bibliography resulting from past and current research on the relationship between videogames and psychology. In addition, we carry out several courses on video games and learning, game design and game development. Even today we continue to train in these topics, among others, and expand our knowledge.

We recommend, above all, in addition to the existing bibliography, a book entitled: Don´t bother me mom- I´m learning!, by Prensky, which collects quite well some of the ideas discussed above.

Do video game developers already use teams of psychologists, or is it something relatively new?

PG: As far as we know, only a few large companies have a psychologist on staff who helps design the video games with the rest of the team. We certainly think it is a great idea, since the fusion of various disciplines always results in a better job.

In most video games there is a narrative dimension and another playable dimension. In which of these two do you think it is most necessary to have people who are dedicated to psychology?

PG: In both, totally. Many times we play a video game with incredible mechanics, graphics and design, but the next day we do not play again because it does not have a story that hooks us. And many times we will have played a game of which the first impression has been very good from the point narratively, but as some mechanics are poorly designed they do not invite the user to continue Playing.

Hence, in both parts supervision of almost every detail is necessary to ensure that people will have a good experience with the video game. After all, that's what it's all about.

And I guess you also have to see if the mechanics and storytelling fit together well.

PG: Yes. In general this does not have a great difficulty. You simply have to adapt the mechanics to the limitations of the game or the programming language you use. The narrative will seldom be found to limit the mechanics and vice versa. Often times, unique mechanics will emerge from the narrative of the game itself, and the mechanics can provide insights into how the game might unfold.

In what aspects of the development of the video game do you think it is most useful to have the advice of specialized psychologists? For example, in game mechanics, set and character design, etc.

PG: We can certainly help in the development of all aspects of the video game. From the commented to many more. If it is true that there are elements in which as psychologists we can be of more help, such as the mechanics of video games to help optimize cognitive abilities, or in the design of a coherent context to enhance the experience of the Username. Although for this it is necessary to touch almost all the elements. However, there are aspects, such as music, that we leave in more expert hands since our training and experience do not help us much to improve this element.

As for the design of scenarios, have you noticed if environmental psychology begins to investigate and intervene on video games? It occurs to me that it would be an interesting field for people who are dedicated to this branch of psychology.

PG: The truth is that we have not yet met anyone from this specialty in the world of video games. Utility? Surely they could contribute their experience on the interaction between the physical environment and the player, only that in this case the environment would be virtual. Perhaps when the definitive “boom” of Virtual Reality occurs, we will see much more interest between this field of psychology and video games.

What are the main barriers that a person from the field of psychology will encounter if he decides to dedicate himself to something similar to what you do in Psycogaming?

PG: The first, and surely the most important, is the lack of formal training in this area within psychology. There are specializations of all kinds: clinic, educational, business, legal... but it is very difficult to find something that combines the concepts of psychology and video games.

And then you would find yourself in the tough business world and the difficulty of entering the world of video games (like getting into a video game development studio).

And it will not be easy to start having contacts either.

PG: No, it is not easy at all. We suppose that if you have an acquaintance in the world it may be easier, since there are “meet-ups” and events in which developers get together to present projects, meet each other, and more. In our case, we had no idea that these types of events exist, we had to give a lot more back. We got the information from a friend that there was a kind of meeting for developers in Valencia, and after thinking about it we decided to go for the couple of days it lasted and introduce ourselves. As a result of here, they gave us the contact of a group that works in Barcelona, ​​ZehnGames, and from which we began to know the whole Indie world in Barcelona. In fact, now in December we have been to Granada Gaming with them and it has been a very productive experience.

Beyond the problems that may have arisen along the way, how do you value the journey you have made so far with your project?

PG: Well, the truth is that we value it very positively. It is true that the beginnings were hard, with a vaguely defined project and a lot of bibliography to study, but The opportunities that have arisen have meant that all the way to the current point has been worth the pain. Still, we are aware that we have a long way to go and we hope to continue to have the same luck.

Finally, a mandatory question. What is your favorite video game?

Marc: The Legend of Zelda, A Link To The Past, from Super Nintendo. The graphics are poor for today, but it has an immersive narrative and a considerable degree of freedom in such an old game. In addition to a terrifying soundtrack.

Sergio: Without a doubt, Golden Sun, from GBA. Incredible storytelling, time-appropriate graphics and artwork, and engaging and engaging mechanics. Although we could dedicate another entire interview to flower an endless list of "favorite" video games.