Release of the second minisode of the HERMES research team podcast series The new face of online games

The Research Team on Lifestyle and Multidisciplinary Research (HERMES) has released its second minisode of its podcast series title Hybrid games: the true value of ‘micro-transactions’.

In this second minisode, the researchers focus on the monetization of “free-to-play” games (F2P) and related issues. They take on subjects such as the particular business model of gaming companies, their profits, the regulations related to these games and the consequences that these free-to-play games may have for players.

• What are micro-transactions and how did they evolve through time?
• Who are the players nicknamed “whales”? How do companies profit from them?
• How are players’ personal information used by companies?
• What are the issues related to the monetization of F2P games and how should they be addressed?

With the minisodes, which will be released throughout the podcast series, the HERMES team hopes to cover in more detail specific topics also addressed in the longer episodes. If you are not able to tune in or if you would like a different perspective on what you heard in the long episodes, the minisodes might just be what you need!

You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on the HERMES’s website or find it on iTunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

About the podcast series The new face of online games

Launched in November 2020, this podcast series discusses the emerging nature of hybrid games that lie at the boundaries of gambling and video gaming. The researchers from the Multidisciplinary Research Team on Lifestyle (HERMES) also address the impact of hybrid games on the behaviour of individuals and on communities.

About the research team HERMES

Established in 2012, the HERMES research partnership team is led by Dr. Sylvia Kairouz, full professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University. It gathers researchers and clinicians specialized in the field of addiction studies from six universities in Québec and Europe and clinicians from the health sector. The HERMES team aims to generate a body of scientific knowledge regarding the reality of digital gambling that is useful for both researchers and clinicians, and to supports prevention initiatives and treatment.