Psychology in Gaming - Thoughts on the use of games for psychology

[Gaumer]

...I guess I'm jumping the gun, aren't I?

As for going into therapy, I couldn't afford it. I have no income whatsoever, and my co-dependency insurance doesn't cover it.

Yes, but this is all a precursor to getting the education, is it not?

The drive to learn is already there. After you acquire the knowledge you'll be able to understand the question much more, and that's the trick with just about everything: answers come fairly easy; knowing the proper questions is what's tough.

Still, getting the ball rolling on your interests (I assume that if you are taking college courses on the subject that it interests you) and checking back on this thread throughout your college experience can't be a terrible thing. You either get a better handle on the content of the other posts or you get to deeper into your OP and give others a bit of an education. Either way it makes for good forum banter

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

...I guess I'm jumping the gun, aren't I?

As for going into therapy, I couldn't afford it. I have no income whatsoever, and my co-dependency insurance doesn't cover it.

Yes, but this is all a precursor to getting the education, is it not?

The drive to learn is already there. After you acquire the knowledge you'll be able to understand the question much more, and that's the trick with just about everything: answers come fairly easy; knowing the proper questions is what's tough.

Still, getting the ball rolling on your interests (I assume that if you are taking college courses on the subject that it interests you) and checking back on this thread throughout your college experience can't be a terrible thing. You either get a better handle on the content of the other posts or you get to deeper into your OP and give others a bit of an education. Either way it makes for good forum banter

agreed, I hope you don't take any of my comments as me saying 'don't do this' I'm saying 'this is more complex than you might initially think.'

As far as therapy I know a lot of colleges have free therapy sessions, so if you're getting ready to start school, you should look them up.

[Navarre]

Yes, I went through seven different therapists in college. All were free.

Now, granted, none of them helped me any. But, in their defense, my issues are far more serious than the average person.

Nonetheless, the experience of the therapy sessions would provide a framework for analyzing the relationship between patient and therapist as well as the process of the therapy itself. So I'd still recommend that as an addition to your academic studies, even if you don't feel you have any issues that require therapy.

Building from this, the study you suggest can still follow, taking advantage of everything you can then bring to the table.

[Eothr]

Thank you, everyone. You've all given me some great insight, as well as good advice.

I'd like to keep this thread going, as I continue studying. I'll also look into what my college provides as far as therapy goes, but it's an extremely new campus: 1 building on about 100 acres of land. So, we'll see...

I do appreciate everyone's honesty, and I hope you will continue to be so.

[Navarre]

Honesty builds Trust. So yep, honesty if the way to go.

... Unless you're role-playing a chaotic neutral Beguiler who's maxing out his Bluff skill.

I wonder what our choice of character to play says about us?

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

I wonder what our choice of character to play says about us?

and two steps back

[Navarre]

I wonder what our choice of character to play says about us?

and two steps back

Eothr wanted to keep the thread going. Not much left at this point but arm-chair psychology. It may not be clinically valid but it's a topic for discussion.

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

Eothr wanted to keep the thread going. Not much left at this point but arm-chair psychology. It may not be clinically valid but it's a topic for discussion.

Sure, just thought it was funny.

[Navarre]

Yeah, it's kinda funny.  heh

My new girlfriend recently started playing D&D, thanks to me. She loves it.

She suggested that first-time players often play a character close in nature to their own personality (despite class) to more easily get into role-playing. I don't know if that is true or not although I have noticed it often seems that way with first-time players.

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

Yeah, although I only ever suggest it if a player is having trouble coming up with a character. Most new players naturally do this.

[Gaumer]

Yeah, although I only ever suggest it if a player is having trouble coming up with a character. Most new players naturally do this.

Is it better for a DM to instruct (maybe the wrong word), encourage players to NOT do this? Having them purposely move away from this and instead using a pop-culture or other known hero as a base for their character?

I don't think there's anyway to remove the player from the role-playing in the context of making decisions for their character. I think players unavoidably and, almost, subconsciously put too much of themselves into their character as far as strategy and even social interactions.

Its hard enough to get that separation between player and character without mirroring yourself into an exercise that, at its very definition, is all about creating and becoming someone else.

I think it could do more harm than good starting a new player off on a foot that may be a wrong one in the terms of roleplaying, and it may be better for a newbie to make their character more like what they perceive a fictional character or archetype to be.

[SpiderLover]

Well I'll answer that with a story about Mage. I didn't know what I wanted to do or be in Mage. Then I saw Full Metal Alchemist, and I thought it was pretty cool. I figured this would be an interesting take and the mage world would be keeping tabs on me because I melted the Governor's tires. I was a little mischievous guy, but after the events of the game My Character was nothing like Edward Elric, things changed.

This was a game played over 6 months we met once a week. There were 3 of us and our ST or DM. My Character's goal was to enjoy life and explore magic without being killed. My friend's goal was to destroy all vampire's, and the other guy's goal was to bring Magic to normal people without being sucked away by paradox. I won't tell the whole store, but I will leave you with a great defining moment for my character.

My Friend's character found out how to magic a mini sun. He and I would raid vampire homes and kill them. One night we ran into a trap. The Vampire Sheriff bound and us, he began to drain blood from my friend as I watched. Licking away the blood wound the Vampire took my hand and made me use my metal pole to beat my friend to death. I awoke in the middle of a park with my friend's body upon me and then came a scream. A woman saw me with a weapon in my hand and the dead corpse of my friend near me.

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

Well I'll answer that with a story about Mage. I didn't know what I wanted to do or be in Mage. Then I saw Full Metal Alchemist, and I thought it was pretty cool. I figured this would be an interesting take and the mage world would be keeping tabs on me because I melted the Governor's tires. I was a little mischievous guy, but after the events of the game My Character was nothing like Edward Elric, things changed.

This was a game played over 6 months we met once a week. There were 3 of us and our ST or DM. My Character's goal was to enjoy life and explore magic without being killed. My friend's goal was to destroy all vampire's, and the other guy's goal was to bring Magic to normal people without being sucked away by paradox. I won't tell the whole store, but I will leave you with a great defining moment for my character.

My Friend's character found out how to magic a mini sun. He and I would raid vampire homes and kill them. One night we ran into a trap. The Vampire Sheriff bound and us, he began to drain blood from my friend as I watched. Licking away the blood wound the Vampire took my hand and made me use my metal pole to beat my friend to death. I awoke in the middle of a park with my friend's body upon me and then came a scream. A woman saw me with a weapon in my hand and the dead corpse of my friend near me.

Sounds like a world of darkness game, although I don't see what you're getting at. Are you saying "this would have been even more horrifying if I was playing Arthropodliker instead of a fullmetal guy?"

[SpiderLover]

Sorry I lost the point in there somewhere, I guess I'm getting at the fact that the character changed after being put into those situation. Other than the look of the character, everything else changed.

[Beta Ray Bill Cosby]

Sorry I lost the point in there somewhere, I guess I'm getting at the fact that the character changed after being put into those situation. Other than the look of the character, everything else changed.

Still not sure how that answers Gaumer's question, but I'm going to extrapolate and say this:

Characters will change, whether based on you or indiana jones. Once Gaumer Jr. becomes exposed to space zombies or his precinct gets overrun by faeries it'll be difficult to maintain an absolute parallel. This can be helpful in showing a player that although a character can be like her, that doesn't mean the character is actually her.