Game Psychology: Understanding Player Mentality and Game Design

Uncover the psychology behind player experiences

Games are more than entertainment—they engage cognitive processes, influence behaviour, and shape decision-making.

Join this four-week online course and explore how perception, sensation, and behavioural psychology impact game design and player experiences.

You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective to improve game design and playability by uncovering how game mechanics, reward, and challenges players.

Discover how personality shapes gameplay

Player psychology varies based on personality traits, emotional responses, and motivation. You’ll first examine how personality psychology, including elements of sports psychology, helps explain player engagement and decision-making.

By understanding these traits, you’ll be able to design experiences that resonate with different player types.

Apply psychological principles to game design and beyond

You’ll then explore how psychological insights can transform game development, making experiences more immersive and engaging. Unpacking gamification, you’ll learn to apply these techniques beyond the realm of gaming, such as in education for healthcare sectors.

By analysing real-world applications, you’ll learn how psychology enhances motivation, problem-solving, and user engagement.

Create more immersive and engaging gaming experiences

By the final week of this course, you’ll have a strong foundation in game psychology and its application ready to take on your next project with the tools to create games that captivate, challenge, and inspire players.

This course is designed for gamers, designers, and anyone curious about the psychology behind gaming. It’s important to have some hands-on experience with games before starting, and learners are encouraged to explore the games referenced on this course for a deeper understanding.

This course is designed for gamers, designers, and anyone curious about the psychology behind gaming. It’s important to have some hands-on experience with games before starting, and learners are encouraged to explore the games referenced on this course for a deeper understanding.

• Improve the learner's professional knowledge about the psychology designs in video games and how to attract players from a psychological perspective in game design.