Irresistible

Review of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.

Something that has greatly impacted my scholarship is the growing amount of literature on screen addiction and the impact that social media, smart phones, and mobile games are having on our behavior. This subject intrigues me, and is the major reason I want to study media effects.

I was recently meeting with a professor of mine, who suggested I read Irresistible by Adam Alter, because he thought a chapter in this book was relevant to a paper we were working on together. And after reading that one chapter, I was hooked. Ironically, a book about behavior addictions and how they are weaponized was impossible me to put down.

This book makes a lot of great points, such as the techniques used by game developers, marketers, app designers, and even product engineers to make their respective commodity irresistible. This book synthesizes loads of research, studies, professional opinions, and therapeutic practices to create well-founded and compelling arguments. Each chapter explores aspects of human nature, and left me reevaluating myself and my habits. I’ve always felt that one of my weaknesses is a compulsion for my screen, one that makes me a distracted parent (something I’m not proud of). However, reading this book has empowered me to take control of my life and find ways to disconnect and unplug myself from my phone. I feel that this book has impacted me on a personal level as well as a scholarly level.

However, despite my love of this book, I did not enjoy the last chapter. Perhaps it’s because I already feel prejudice against the word “gamification” for various reasons. But as Alter outlined ways that professionals and individuals could harness human behavior for good, I felt offset. All of the previous research in this book seemed to point to other good intentions leading to illness: fitness trackers to help people lose weight are actually causing eating disorders, social media apps to connect friends are causing mental health issues, and empowering consumers with the internet in their pocket has made them incapable of being alone.

I felt that the author was trying to end on a good note, but it just fell flat. Instead of suggesting gamification, which is at the heart of behavioral addiction, maybe just compile all of the other suggestions sprinkled throughout the book. There were many other suggestions on curing or preventing screen addiction mentioned sporadically, they could have made a better conclusion than the one we got.

But despite my criticisms with the conclusion, this was a great book. I still recommend it for anyone who consumes digital media, and especially communications/media/psychology scholars. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

My Paper for CHI PLAY 2017

I submitted a paper to the “Exploiting Player” workshop of CHI PLAY 2017. This is the presentation based on that paper that I may (but probably won’t) present at the workshop.

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Review: How to Talk About Video Games

How to Talk About Video Games

I’ll admit, despite wanting to be a video game scholar, and hearing great things about Ian Bogost, I genuinely struggled to get into a couple of his books. His perspective was either too broad, or too mathematical. But I persevered and picked up this book, hoping I could finish it. How to Write About Video Games, was pleasantly different. This book is rather a collection of essays, where Bogost reviewed individual games, their relevance, as well as some reflection on the experience of playing and critiquing video games.

His introduction echoed sentiment I’ve read elsewhere about how critics of video games often only scratch the surface. Writers and readers of video game critiques come back to one point most often: buy or pass. Even though video games are a form of entertainment, there is much more to video game critiquing than just “is this game worth buying?” While Bogost admits that there isn’t a huge demand for microwave critics, as a metaphor it ties into consumer attitudes towards the medium of video games. Until we as players, designers, and critics see games as an art form worthy of deeper analysis, then scholarly attention given to the medium will not catch on.

This book also combats a certain opinion in the industry, especially among critics, that the focus of game reviews should only be on current games. Their relevance is more important than their influence. However, this focus only on games less than 6 months old results in superficial reviews, ones that don’t address the deeper points of the game that come from reflection and time. As a game scholar, its important to review the classics, to address how game studies is more than just game reviews.

Some of the essays were really fun to read, such as the chapter on Bully, Flappy Bird, and Scribblenauts. I loved that there were a few essays on mobile games, as well as AAA games, and even some lesser known titles. This balance of a variety of types, genres, and popularity made for an interesting read. I’m really interested to know how many games Bogost is able to play in a year, especially when he’s writing a book of essays like this.

The introduction and the conclusion alone should be read by anyone considering game studies. They pose so many questions about the difference between a critic and a scholar, and the need for both when considering video games.

I highly recommend this book, and give it 4/5 hearts.