News

Huffington Post: What Would You Do With Ten Extra Years of Life

September 9, 2013 by Shannon

"University of Rochester Professor of Psychology, Dr. Edward Deci, says that people who tap into their own natural talents, interests and desires are more inclined to embrace whatever they do with enthusiasm, creativity and joy. He also points out that people who make things happen for themselves are less likely to be manipulated or used."

HUFFINGTON POST: Spectator Nation: Are You a Screen Junkie

January 11, 2011 by Shannon

January 11th 2011. If there’s one thing the U.S. economy is booming in, it’s the production of mass quantities of onlookers. We have become a nation of spectators, zoning into the glow of digital and high-def screens, cocooned in entertainment centers, oblivious to the sun in the sky, the breeze in the trees, and the...

RESEARCH STUDY: “Players Love the Game Not the Gore – Psychology Study Shows That Violence Does Not Motivate Video Game Players.”

February 16, 2009 by Shannon

January 16th 2009. “These elements, said coauthor Richard Ryan, a motivational psychologist at the University, represent “the core reasons that people find games so entertaining and compelling. Conflict and war are a common and powerful context for providing these experiences, but it is the need satisfaction in the gameplay that matters more than the...

SCIENCE NEWS: Gamers crave control and competence, not carnage

February 14, 2009 by Shannon

February 14th 2009. Blood, guts and gore aren’t what thrill avid gamers when they slaughter zombies in The House of the Dead III video game, a new study suggests. Instead, feelings of control and competence are what the players crave. The new research, led by psychologist Richard Ryan at the University of Rochester in New...

ScienCentral: Violence Not What Attracts Video Gamers, Says Study

January 16, 2009 by Shannon

Richard Ryan interviewed by ScienCentral on a new SDT study, released today, showing that “violence” is not what attracts players. This comes just a few days after a U.S. congressman proposed legislation that would brand violent video games with a health warning. The research could be reassuring news for parents. University of Rochester Press Release on...

WASHINGTON POST: Why Video Games May Be Hard to Give Up

January 16, 2007 by Shannon

January 15th 2007. Researchers say they’ve found another reason why video games are so hard to give up: They may help fulfill basic psychological needs. In a study published in the January issue ofMotivation and Emotion, investigators from the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. looked at what motivated 1,000 gamers to keep playing...