Getting Gamers

The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People who Play Them

By: Jamie Madigan

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Getting Gamers will show that rather than being a waste of time, video games can help us develop skills, make friends, succeed at work, form good habits, and be happy. Taking the time to learn what's happening in our heads as we play and shop allows us to approach games and gaming communities on our own terms and get more out of them.

With sales in the tens of billions of dollars each year, just about everybody is playing some kind of video game whether it's on a console, a computer, a web browser, or a phone. Much of the medium's success is built on careful (though sometimes unwitting) adherence to basic principles of psychology. This is something that's becoming even more important as games become more social, interactive, and sophisticated. This book offers something unique to the millions of people who play or design games: how to use an understanding of psychology to be a better part of their gaming communities, to avoid being manipulated when they shop and play, and to get the most enjoyment out of playing games. With examples from the games themselves, Jamie Madigan offers a fuller understanding of the impact of games on our psychology and the influence of psychology on our games.

©2016 Harold James Madigan (P)2019 Tantor

Amazing! You need this one

Amazing audible, I am an old school gamer and neuroscientist, and I love it. This book has great examples and is very easy to ear for no native English speakers.

This Book is Amazing

If you like video games or want to better understand people who do, and if you like psychology, you will love this book.

I have read a lot of "Psychology of ___" books, and most are either (a) kinda complicated or (b) trying to shove all kinds of psychology ideas in while loosely tying them to the topic. This one is neither.

Every topic is clear and shows another facet of how video games are designed to interact with your brain, AND every topic is easy to understand for someone with zero psychology training (such as me).

Great topic for this narrator and writer pairing.

The book is fun, curious, and informed, and the narrator delivers the writer's voice so well! An easy listen with lots of "huh!" and "aha!" moments for me.

very interesting and eye opening.

The content was engaging, narrator was..meh. actually made me consider getting the hard copy

Great look into why we play

A deep look into the reasons people play games and why monetization has been changing.