You can also listen and subscribe to the podcast on Simplecast or else find it on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms.
THE NEW FACE OF ONLINE GAMES
A podcast from the research team on Lifestyle and Multidisciplinary Research
This French 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) address the impact of hybrid games on the behaviour of individuals and on communities.
Production team
Renita Bangert – Producer
Renita Bangert is a journalist and audio producer based in British Columbia. She recently graduated from Concordia's MA in Digital Innovation in Journalism program, where she specialized in narrative audio journalism. Renita currently works in podcasting with special interest in environmental storytelling.
Jad Abukasm – Production Coordinator, Host
Jad Abukasm is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science at Concordia University. His career interest lies in broadcast journalism in war zones and in documentary filmmaking. Jad is also interested in areas of environment and sustainability as well as social justice.
Episode 1
Hybrid games: The blurred boundaries of gaming and gambling (part 1)
Researchers from the HERMES team discuss hybrid online games with a focus on free-to-play games. They explore the form these games take, their appeal, the business model that engages this growing number of consumers, and the role they play in the everyday lives of individuals.
Speakers:
Minisode 1
Hybrid games: Candy Crush as an example
This minisode is a shorter version of the first episode of the HERMES research team podcast. It features three of the team researchers as well as one interviewer. This minisode explores the definition of free-to-play games and what makes them interesting topics of study. Candy Crush will be used as a specific example throughout the minisode to explore the world of these new games.
Speakers:
Episode 2
Hybrid games: The blurred boundaries of gaming and gambling (part 2)
In the second episode, the researchers from the HERMES team continue their conversation on hybrid games with a focus on free-to-play games. This episode details the nature of the business models and regulatory systems sustaining this massive market, as well as the consequences related to their practice in daily life.
Speakers:
Minisode 2
Hybrid games: the true value of "micro-transactions"
This minisode is a short version of the second episode of the HERMES research team podcast. Four of our researchers exchange to understand and explain the relationship between 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. In other words, how do small transactions generate profits in the billions of dollars?
Speakers:
Episode 3
The hidden face of pleasure
Conceptualizing the idea of pleasure is a subject of research in itself. But what constitutes pleasure in gaming? Three researchers from the HERMES team discuss pleasure in the context of gambling and free-to-play games. This episode explores the role of pleasure in the gaming experience, and the implications of that experience regarding prevention and clinical intervention.
Speakers:
Minisode 3
Gambling, gaming and pleasure, what are we talking about?
This minisode is a short version of the third episode of the HERMES research team podcast. Three members of the team converse on the notion of pleasure to understand and explain the experience of pleasure in the context of gambling and free-to-play games. In other words, what do we mean by pleasure when we talk about games? And what role does it play in getting gamers hooked?
Speakers:
Episode 4
Screen: when it takes hold...
Researchers and clinicians from the HERMES team meet in this podcast to discuss the distinction between normal and problematic use of screens, the Internet and video games and will present a portrayal of those who seek help from of the services available to them.
Speakers:
Minisode 4
When the games play us
This minisode is an abridged version of the fourth episode of the HERMES research team podcast. It provides a better understanding of how gaming habits can lead to a form of Internet addiction, how cyber dependence manifests and how to go about finding help.
