Why Are So Many Gamers Toxic Online

Posted in
Difficulty

About This Event

From upstanding citizens to socially inept cretins, the transformation that occurs in online spaces raises important questions about social dynamics and accountability. In this presentation, we will explore the underlying reasons behind this behavior shift, examining how anonymity in various online environments—from games to message boards, chat clients, social media platforms, and even real-life crowds—affects social interaction. Drawing upon research findings, we will uncover how online spaces facilitate reduced social accountability, diminished social monitoring, and a sense of deindividuation, wherein individuals seek cues from the crowd to navigate ambiguous situations. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the complex interplay between online anonymity and human behavior, shedding light on the mechanisms driving social dynamics in digital environments.

Disability Accommodations

It is the responsibility of the Individual to contact Geek Therapeutics to request disability accommodations at Hello@geektherapeutics.com.

Geek Therapeutics is committed to helping each student reach his/her academic potential and to providing every student equal opportunity to participate in and engage with the course. In keeping with this commitment, effort has been made to develop accessible learning materials that provide equal access. Please contact Geek Therapeutics immediately if access to course materials is restricted due to a disability so the issue(s) can be resolved in a timely manner.

 

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify the characteristics of online situations or spaces that likely trigger toxic behaviors that clients endure and how to handle clientele’s difficult emotional situations in clinical practice.
  2. Identify individual differences that may make someone more or less prone to toxic behavior in these situations to reduce the behavioral difficulties in clinical practice.
  3. Apply theory about deindividuation and anonymity to reduce toxic behavior and encourage desired behavior in problematic gaming and clinical populations.

 

Course Instructor

Jamie Madigan Ph.D. has become an expert on the psychology of video games and seeks to popularize an understanding of how various aspects of psychology can be used to understand why games are made how they are and why their players behave as they do. Dr. Madigan has written extensively on the subject for magazines, websites, his own site at http://www.psychologyofgames.com, and in two books: Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People Who Play Them and The Engagement Game: Why Your WorkPlace Culture Should Look More Like A Video Game. He has also appeared as an expert on the psychology of video games in outlets such as Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Wired Magazine, The Atlantic, and others.

Continuing Education Credits

Psychologists: Geek Therapeutics is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

Counselors: Geek Therapeutics has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7042. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Social Workers: Geek Therapeutics, #1769, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 05/19/2022 – 05/19/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 1 continuing education credits. 

Play Therapists: Geek Therapeutics has been approved by APT as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, No. 21-649. Programs that do not qualify for APT credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Other Professions: This activity qualifies for the specified number of hours of instructional content as required by many licensing boards and professional organizations. Save your course outline and certificate of completion, and contact your board or organization for specific requirements. Completion of the course(s) with a post-test score of 80% or better