Understand how psychology influences game design, player behavior, and engagement in this free online course.

The appeal of video games is multifaceted, drawing upon a variety of psychological factors that contribute to their popularity and the high levels of motivation and engagement they often evoke. In this course, we’ll teach you how various cognitive factors, such as attention and memory, influence and shape the gaming experience. Also, you will study both the positive and negative aspects of video gaming, including creativity and exposure to violent content.

Gaming addiction is a behavioural addiction characterised by compulsive and excessive gaming behaviour that leads to significant distress in various areas of life. You’ll examine the risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing gaming addiction, as well as methods for diagnosing and treating it. Having learned that, we’ll show you how online gaming can help build a social identity and shape individuals’ perceptions of themselves and others.

We designed this course for gamers, game developers, psychologists and anyone interested in understanding the psychological aspects of video gaming. Prerequisite knowledge and expertise are optional for taking this course. To make this course easy for learners, we provided clear and concise explanations to simplify complex psychological concepts applicable to the world of gaming. Join this course now and learn about the psychology behind video gaming!