Session Zero
27 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsSession Zero is a discussion podcast that seeks to explore the psychology of roleplaying. Each episode will feature a new aspect of the experience of roleplaying, viewed through the lens of psychology by clinical psychologist Porter Green and industrial-organizational psychologist Steve Discont, They're doing the thinking, and you get to do the listening.
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Episodes
Gaming with Kids
March 31, 2020 13:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBSteve Discont can be found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Shareef Jackson, his writing, and his social media can be found at his website, and can be found on the Dungeon & Dragons Actual Play show Rivals of Waterdeep. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Rosselet, J. G., & Stauffer, S. D. (2013). Using group role-playing games with gifted children and adolescents: A psyc...
Gaming at a Social Distance
March 17, 2020 13:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBSteve Discont can be found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: “Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”,” by Harry Stevens at The Washington Post. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-...
GMing with Anxiety
March 03, 2020 14:00 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBSteve Discont can be found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: “Tabletop Roleplaying for the Shy and Cerebral” on The Mary Sue by Becky Chambers. Blackmon, W. D. (1994). Dungeons and Dragons: The use of a fantasy game in the psychotherapeutic treatment of a young adult. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 48(4), 624-632. Scudder, S. (2019)...
Therapy with Characters: Hee-nod of the Carral Clan
February 19, 2020 01:26 - 14 minutes - 13.8 MBCW: Discussion of human predation by a fantasy species Steve Discont can be found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Hee-nod was portrayed by Shelby Green (Porter’s wife)! Shelby can be found on twitter at @kamber. Want to hear another pretend therapy session, this time with a vlogger who needs help because he’s way in over his head? Become a $5 or more backer with the ONE SHOT Network Patreon, and you can get access to the Network’s SECRET ARCHIVE wh...
Anxiety & Shyness at the Table
February 04, 2020 14:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBSteve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: “Tabletop Roleplaying for the Shy and Cerebral” on The Mary Sue by Becky Chambers. Blackmon, W. D. (1994). Dungeons and Dragons: The use of a fantasy game in the psychotherapeutic treatment of a young adult. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 48(4), 624-632. Scudder, S. (2019). R...
Research on Roleplaying
September 24, 2019 20:46 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBSteve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Our guest Ben Aldred can be found at @sleepingscholar. You can find a blog of Ben’s thoughts on gaming here. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Ben Aldred’s graduate thesis on the folkloric study of roleplaying Ben Aldred’s study of the use of humor at the gaming table “Tuskegee Experiment: The Infamous Syphilis ...
Therapy with Characters: Spit, from the Uhuru
September 10, 2019 21:18 - 26 minutes - 24 MBCW: Discussion of sexual interests, brief discussions of murder Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Our guest James D’Amato’s work can be found at his podcasts One Shot & Campaign. James can be found at his twitter at @oneshotrpg. His book, The Ultimate RPG Game Play Guide, can be found here. Want to hear our consultation session between Steve and The Broker from Campaign: Sky Jacks? Become a $5 or more backer with the ONE SHOT ...
Running Games with ADHD
August 27, 2019 16:40 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBSteve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Our guest James D’Amato’s work can be found at his podcasts One Shot & Campaign. James can be found at his twitter at @oneshotrpg. His book, The Ultimate RPG Game Play Guide, can be found here. A quick note: Steve on the podcast referred to a mobile app called 30/30. At the time of this episode airing, it seems this app is longer available online. Sorry! A pomodoro alternative for beginners: ...
Colonialism in Gaming, Part 2
July 30, 2019 19:47 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBCW: Discussions of racism, frank discussions about colonialism, discussions of socioeconomic class, violence Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Our guest James Mendez Hodes can be found at his website at www.jamesmendezhodes.com or at his twitter at @lulavampiro. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Wikipedia page on Colonialism Sohn, S. H. (2008). ...
Colonialism in Gaming, Part 1
July 16, 2019 19:30 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBCW: Discussions of racism, frank discussions about colonialism Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. Our guest James Mendez Hodes can be found at his website at www.jamesmendezhodes.com or at his twitter at @lulavampiro. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Canadian Psychological Association, & the Psychology Foundation of Canada (2018). Psychology’s re...
Rituals at the Table
July 02, 2019 18:43 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBThe Session Zero duo delve into what the field of psychology thinks rituals are, what purpose they can serve at the table, and explore some of their own tried and true rituals together. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). The psycholog...
Personal Growth & Development
June 18, 2019 18:44 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBOur characters have taught us all sorts of interesting and useful life skills, like public speaking and picking locks! Come join Porter and Steve while they discuss personal growth through gaming and explore the ways that we support and scaffold each other towards our developmental goals and values. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discuss...
Episode Fourteen: Escapism
June 04, 2019 18:50 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBSteve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Types of Escapism: Hagstrõm, D., & Kaldo, V. (2014). Escapism among players of MMORPGs – conceptual clarification, its relation to mental health factors, and development of a new measure. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(1), 19-25. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber....
Episode Thirteen: Representations of Mental Illness in Gaming
May 21, 2019 18:18 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBThe Session Zero duo delve into mental illness and its function in game worlds. Join us in thinking a little deeper about the tropes and traditions of our hobby and how they sometimes mimic people’s lived experience of pain. CW: Mentions of violence, mental illness, discussions of psychological trauma, brief mentions of suicidal ideation, brief mentions of sexual assault Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the fol...
Episode Twelve: Personal Stigma and Gaming
May 07, 2019 17:00 - 27 minutes - 26 MBThe Session Zero duo explore those awkward feelings of concern and fear of judgment that some tabletop and live action roleplaying gamers feel when interacting with non-gamers. We will dive into the concept of stigma and explore what it’s like to experience the stigma of being a gamer. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this epis...
Episode Eleven: Privilege
April 23, 2019 17:36 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBPorter and Steve discuss privilege and how it can play out in our imaginary worlds as well as the real one. What role does oppression play in our imaginations? Join us in examining the impact of the statuses we hold on the worlds we build and the characters we make. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Privilege, Pow...
Episode Ten: Metaphors and Internal Worlds
April 09, 2019 17:39 - 26 minutes - 24.8 MBPorter and Steve explore what types of meaning we can make in our shared, internal, imaginary worlds through the use of symbolic metaphors and analogies. Join us to find out why gaming can be philosophically true even if it isn’t real. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Robert Bohl’s Misspent Youth The Spark Rolep...
Episode Nine: Bleed, Part Two
March 26, 2019 19:58 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MBPorter & Steve are joined by game developer and conservationist Emily Care Boss in the second half of a two-part interview where they come together to discuss whether bleed is a good or a bad thing, strategies for addressing and mitigating bleed safety, and some positive takeaways they have experienced from their own experiences of bleed. Please consider donating to the GoFundMe drive to help Jef from System Mastery pay his hospital bills: http://bit.ly/livingmastery Emily Care Bo...
Episode Eight: Bleed, Part One
March 12, 2019 15:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBEmily Care Boss can be found at her games website at www.blackgreengames.com, and on twitter at @emilycare. Steve Discont can found on twitter at @bearlynormal, and Porter Green at @DagmarRugosa. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Bleed: https://nordiclarp.org/2015/03/02/bleed-the-spillover-between-player-and-character/ by Sarah Lynne Bowman Bleed: https://nordiclarp.org/2019/01/25/investigating-type...
Episode Seven: Emotions
February 26, 2019 19:55 - 29 minutes - 27.9 MBPorter & Steve discuss what the literature says about what emotions are at their core, what their meaning and value can be in the gaming experience, and some useful ways to consider and manage the emotions of yourself and your fellow roleplayer. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Weiss, H. M., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective events theory: A theoretical discussion of the structure, causes, and conse...
Episode Six: Gaming with ADHD
February 12, 2019 19:36 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBSteve and Porter explore the challenges that come with gaming at the table when you have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder by exploring what ADHD is, how it can manifest, and what are strategies for working around it. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: The basics of ADHD: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/adhd Strategies for managing ADHD: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/man...
Episode Five: Termination
January 29, 2019 20:16 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBSteve and Porter explore what it means when things come to an end, be it for a game or a gaming group, and how you can prepare for it. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Paterson, J. M., & Cary, J. (2002). Organizational justice, change anxiety, and acceptance of downsizing: Preliminary tests of an AET-based model. Motivation and Emotion, 26(1), 83-103. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015146225215 Therapeu...
Episode Four: Implicit Theories of Playership
January 15, 2019 22:20 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBShow notes coming soon!
Episode Three: Feedback
January 01, 2019 19:35 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBThe Session Zero duo explore the idea of feedback at the table, how to structure it, and the importance and benefits of active communication for the roleplaying group. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: I-statements: Here is a great 5 minute video on how to structure an I statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG25Kq_3gmg Feedback: Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review ...
Episode Two: Implicit Theories of GMing
December 18, 2018 19:34 - 22 minutes - 21.3 MBThe Session Zero duo explore the rules and expectations that are often placed upon the person who sits at the head of the gaming table: the gamemaster. You can go to the following URLs or research articles to learn about some of the topics discussed in this episode: Schema: https://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/schema-memory Schema: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_(psychology) Implicit Person Theory: https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/industrial-organizational-psycholog...
Episode One: Group Dynamics
November 27, 2018 00:32 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBSteve and Porter discuss one of the fundamental social units within roleplaying: The gaming group and the group's dynamics, norms, and more.
Episode Zero: Introductions
November 27, 2018 00:30 - 20 minutes - 19 MBPorter and Steve have their own session zero for Session Zero as they introduce themselves, talk about their professional backgrounds, and discuss what roleplaying means to them.