Issue 3.0: Game Over Matter
Video Games and the Human Mind [Volume 3 Cover Page]
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Game & Word, Vol. 3, Issue 0: Sunday, April 24, 2022
“Game Over Matter: Video Games & the Human Mind”
Masthead
Publisher: Jay Rooney
Author, Graphics, Research: Jay Rooney
Logo: Jarvis Media
Founding Members (as of 6/5/2022):
Le_Takas, from Luzern, Switzerland (Member since April 14, 2022)
Ela F., from San Diego, CA (Member since April 24, 2022)
Alexi F., from Chicago, IL (Member since May 13, 2022)
Elvira O., from Querétaro, Mexico (Member since May 18, 2022)
Special Thanks:
Anthony M. Bean, Ph.D. of Geek Therapeutics, for providing the (to be) signed books for the giveaway.
YOU, for reading this volume.
Table of Contents (Vol. 3, Issue 0: Sunday, Apr. 24, 2022)
Updates & Errata
Message from the Publisher
Topic Introduction: “Game Over Matter”
Volume Directory
Previous Issues
Book Giveaway! [ARCHIVED]
Updates & Errata
In order to experiment with organizing each volume’s content better, I’m experimenting with regularly updating the cover issue of each volume as a “live” post, to serve as a central hub/link repository for each issue published in each volume.
Hopefully, this will help new and returning readers to more easily catch up and keep up with the themes discussed week by week in each volume. Please let me know if you feel this works for you, or if you have suggestions for improving this idea.
Message from the Publisher
Dear Reader,
Over the past three nearly four months, I’ve seen Game & Word grow from an ephemeral idea to tangible reality. I’ve built it up, nearly from scratch, into a thriving publication with an entire book’s worth of content. I’ve watched it expand in readership and find an audience. And—by implementing paid subscription tiers—I’ve transformed it from something I do merely for fun into something I can do for a living.
Throughout this time, I’ve heard from several readers, from all walks of life, who’ve given me feedback on this newsletter. Gamers, ecstatic to finally find such deep, thoughtful, and well-written gaming analysis, who learned new things about history, literature, economics, and philosophy. Non-gamers, initially drawn to an article’s historical, philosophical, or literary perspective, who’ve since become some of my most engaged readers. People from all corners of the globe. Students, seniors, and every age group in between. People who love games as a hobby, and people who work with games as an industry.
All have two threads tying them together:
Game & Word resonates with them deeply.
Game & Word wouldn’t exist without their support.
And so, dear reader, as Game & Word enters its third volume of themed content, I wanted to tell you something. I know I say it all the time, but no matter how often the words come out of my mouth, I mean them just as much the 100th time as I did the first:
THANK YOU.
Writing this newsletter is hard work, but it has become one of my life’s greatest joys. And not just because it’s so liberating to finally write for myself, and not for a search engine, about the things I’m actually interested in. It’s also because I now know there are so many others who are just as eager to read about my interests as I am to write about them. I’m grateful to every single one of you for being with me on this journey. Hopefully, I can keep writing Game & Word for many years to come. If I do, I’ll know who to thank. Again. As many times as I need to.
This upcoming third volume of Game & Word is near and dear to my heart. Not only am I greatly interested in the topics of the mind, perception, and consciousness, but my origin as a games writer also stems from exploring the intersection of games and the mind. I’ll also be analyzing some of my favorite games and franchises of all time, such as The Legend of Zelda, Psychonauts, Animal Crossing, MOTHER/EarthBound, Fez, Chrono Trigger, and more.
Even by this newsletter’s standards, it’s a monumental undertaking, and I take great pride in creating and sharing it with you. So, I dedicate Game & Word, Volume 3 in its entirety to YOU, dear reader. I hope you find it informational, entertaining, and mind-opening, in equal measure. Enjoy.
Gratefully,
~Jay Rooney
Publisher, Game & Word
Topic Introduction: “Game Over Matter”
Over the past three months, we’ve seen how video games, far from being the vapid, childish time-wasters that mainstream society and mass media bafflingly continue treating them as, can be as powerful an artistic, narrative, and educational vehicle as any other mass medium.
We’ve seen how they can bring long-lost worlds back to life, nurture lifelong bonds between people on opposite sides of the world, and allow folks to safely try on new identities.
But games can do so much more. They can also induce empathy, reduce stress, and—in the proper settings and circumstances—become tools for self-care and even therapy.
At the same time, there are still important and unanswered questions about how violent content, addictive game design, and predatory monetization schemes in games can affect our minds. These questions will become ever more urgent as more immersive technology like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the so-called “metaverse” improve and become more widely adopted.
Then there are the many neat, and often profound, ways in which games portray and explore our minds. Metaphorical mental worlds, protagonists battling their shadows, the mind as a gateway to the infinite and a conduit for the divine, and viscerally powerful game depictions of mental illness and sanity slippage. Then there are those games that take you on wild journeys to the center of our consciousness and tug at the very strings of reality.
We’ll cover all these topics, and more, in Game & Word, Volume 3. So, get ready to explore humanity’s true final frontier of exploration. See you then!
Best,
~Jay
Currently Published Issues
Game & Word Previous Issues:
While you wait, now’s a good time to catch up on any issues you’ve missed. Here they are:
Volume 1 (The Name of the Game): Issue 1 ● Issue 2 ● Issue 3 ● Issue 4
Volume 2 (Yo Ho Ho, It’s a Gamer’s Life for Me): Issue 1 ● Issue 2 ● Issue 3 ● Bonus 1 ● Issue 4 ● Issue 5 ● Issue 6 ● Issue 7 ● Bonus 2 ● Issue 8 ● Bonus 3
Game & Word is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, and keep it free and available to all, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber:
Or, you could help offset my caffeine costs by chipping in for the price of a cup of joe:
Book Giveaway!
[
UPDATE (6/5/22): The book giveaway has now ended, and we’ve selected the winners. Congratulations to subscribers Nattend0 and Claire Carré on winning their own signed copy of The Psychology of Zelda and the Psychology of Final Fantasy, respectively. I’ll keep up the promotional copy for archival purposes—just know that if you ask me about how to enter, there’s not much I can do for you unless you have a time machine!
If you’re interested in purchasing the books, however, you can do so at the links below:
And don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more giveaways in the future, so keep checking your inbox each Sunday 🙂
]
To demonstrate my gratitude to you beyond just words, I’ve partnered with Dr. Anthony Bean of Geek Therapeutics (you may remember him from last week’s bonus interview) to give away two signed books: one copy each of The Psychology of Zelda, and The Psychology of Final Fantasy.
What Are These Books?
The Psychology of Zelda is one of my favorite gaming books of all time. It’s accessible, fun to read, highly informative, and astonishingly eye-opening. Each of the curated essays’ authors not only knows their subject matter inside and out, but also shares a deep passion for games that radiates from each page.
If you’re as much of a Zelda nut as I am, you’ll find this book so deeply relatable, you’ll be nodding your head in delighted affirmation from cover to cover. But even if you have no experience with the Zelda series, or even video games in general, you don’t need any; you’ll still enjoy reading these essays, and easily grasp the concepts explored. You might even learn a thing or two about gaming beyond the popular (and sadly misconstrued) narrative!
In fact, this was the book that inspired me to start writing about games, to begin with! It served as an invaluable source for my first “broader-context gaming” article, on the therapeutic applications of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And not only Dr. Bean himself, but also the book’s contributors, have been incredibly generous with their time and expertise during my early transition into games writing. Some have since become not just helpful sources, but also esteemed colleagues and even dear friends.
I’m beyond thrilled to share this book that’s been so influential on the way I think about games—and so seminal to my current career as a games writer—with you. I hope you find it as enlightening and edifying a read as I have.
Our second book in the giveaway, The Psychology of Final Fantasy (another series dear to my heart), is just as fun and fascinating to read as its Zelda counterpart. Once again, Dr. Bean has curated a fine collection of accessible and entertaining essays from gamer psychologists of varying disciplines, specialties, and backgrounds—all united by their love of one of gaming’s most influential and venerated franchises of all time. This book adds yet another layer to an already-deep series, and by the time you finish, you’ll have gained a whole new level of appreciation for the games. If Chocobos are more your jam than Cuccoos—and even if not—add this book to your “must-read” list immediately.
How Do I Participate in the Giveaway?
It’s easy! You only have to do these two things by Sunday, May 22, 2022, at 11:59 pm PDT:
Subscribe toGame & Word, if you haven’t already.Your subscription tier doesn’t matter;both freeandpaid subscribers are eligible, and your subscription tier willnotaffect your chances of winning in any way. Each subscriber is automatically entered into the final draw (but if you want to opt out, just let me know):
FollowGame & Wordon Twitter,@GameAndWord.If you’re not on Twitter (which I completely understand), bookmark my profile, and hopefully check in on it every now and then. People who followGame & Wordon Twitter gain one (1) entry for the final draw (and yes, if you’re a subscriberanda Twitter follower, your entries stack):
This last part is completely optional, but if you share Game & Word to the social network(s) of your choice, you’ll help this newsletter grow and survive while introducing your friends to the same deep, longform gaming analysis you enjoy from Game & Word.
Some sharing tips:
Sure, go ahead and share to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, if that’s your jam. But remember, you can also share to Reddit, Discord, YouTube, or even Substack itself (in fact, you might find more receptive audiences there).If you’re not active on any of these (which, again, I totally get), you can shareGame & Wordon a group chat, forward an issue you like to a friend, or mention it in a blog comment, podcast, or Twitch stream.The idea is to spread the word to the people in and around your life—gamers and psychologists alike—who’d find value in this publication, this volume, and the books we’re giving away.
How Long Will the Giveaway Run for?
Four weeks, from Sunday, April 24 (today) through Sunday, May 22, 2022.
How Will You Choose the Winners?
Two (2) winners will be randomly chosen out of the pool of eligible participants on Sunday, May 22, 2022, after which we will reach out to the winners for confirmation, and to collect shipping information. Once that’s squared away, we will announce the winners on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
How Will You Determine Who Gets Which Book?
Glad you asked! Initially, we’ll take a quick look at your socials/content to see if you clearly stan one franchise over the other, then confirm with you. If you have a really strong preference for which book you’d like, feel free to let me know—though I must stress that Game & Word can not guarantee you’ll get your preferred title.
If the two winners happen to be hardcore Zelda or Final Fantasy fans who can’t or won’t budge on their preference, we’ll resolve the issue through trial by combat good-faith mediation until a resolution is reached. If we still can’t resolve the issue, we reserve the right to pick another two winners instead.
How Long Will it Take to Get My Book?
Depends on where you live. We’re based in the US, so if you are too, it shouldn’t take more than 2-3 business days, or one week at most. If you’re overseas, it may take quite a bit longer. But we’ll make sure to send it your way as quickly as possible!
What if I Have More Questions?
Feel free to drop a comment, reply to this email, DM me on Twitter (@GameAndWord), or email me at gameandword@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you promptly.
Tags
#psychology #neuroscience #philosophy #metaphysics #spirituality #mentalhealth
#GameOverMatter
Looking forward to what this volume has to bring! Seems like a really interesting take on gaming that I've not really read about before anywhere else.