GradPSYCH - January 2012 - (Page 16)
There are also new opportunities for women, adds Lehrer, who has been in the industry since earning a doctorate in cognitive psychology nearly three decades ago. “Up until five years ago, all the effort went toward producing games targeted to what we call the core gamer — invariably a teenage boy or 20-something young man,” says Lehrer, a middle-aged woman who says she used to feel like a “secondclass citizen” at gaming conferences. “The world has totally changed in terms of who’s consuming these products.” With many more women playing games, she says, there’s a demand for women producers — and not enough qualified women to fill positions.
video game companies make business decisions. Ambinder, for example, describes himself as a sort of “in-house consultant” who spends his days doing research and analyzing data, whether that means reviewing financial information or exploring biofeedback as a means of user testing. “We try to make good decisions based on valid data, so we will track anything of interest that will aid us in our efforts,” he says. Would-be entrepreneurs can also thrive in the video game industry. Some, such as Shufflebrain’s Kim, launch consulting firms to help game producers and other clients improve their products. Others, such as Lehrer, have game-production studios of their own.
Earnings outlook
The video game field pays well, says Ambinder. “A psychologist with a PhD could look to start somewhere between $70,000 to $80,000,” he says. Many companies cap compensation at $150,000, adds Kim, although such employees may receive cash bonuses or stock options.
How to get there
Psychologists who want to work in the video game field must be passionate about games — both playing them and trying to understand why they work. “But you also have to be super-passionate about answering questions about human behavior and really skilled at answering them,” says Nichols. Doctoral training in an applied branch of psychology, such as experimental, engineering or human factors, is useful, he says. Cognitive, developmental and educational psychology can be ideal for psychologists working on educational games, adds Lehrer. A doctoral degree in psychology isn’t enough, however. While not required, having a strong technology background will make you a more desirable candidate, says Kim, who put herself through a behavioral neuroscience grad program working as a computer programmer. Psychologists can learn such skills through classes or even specialized programs, such as the game design program at the University of Southern California, where Kim is an adjunct professor. Or they can get on-the-job experience via an internship at gaming company Electronic Arts or a similar company. Networking is also key. Consider visiting the Game Developers Conference, where attendees can meet with representatives from major gaming companies at a career fair, for instance. Attending the career fair paid off for Ambinder: A representative from Valve invited him in for a daylong consulting gig. At day’s end, he had a job offer.
What you can do
The proliferation of games and gaming platforms also means more opportunities for psychologists. “More and more companies are starting to see the value in hiring psychologists or folks with a background in psychology,” says Mike Ambinder, PhD, an experimental psychologist at a Bellevue, Wash., game design company called Valve. “The application of psychological principles to game design is still in its infancy, so the opportunity is present to be at the forefront of a new discipline.” The most common — and most well-established — role for psychologists is user research, which largely entails testing whether players experience games the way companies intended, say Ambinder and others. User researchers work with the production team to understand their goals for a game, then translate those goals into testable questions. The team might want to make sure a certain level of a game gives players a sense of excitement or anxiety, for example. To find out, a psychologist might bring people from the target audience into a lab, get them playing and then administer surveys or observe them through a one-way mirror. Such studies offer a fascinating means for psychologists to apply their understanding of human behavior, says Nichols. After all, video games are all about engagement, motivation, reinforcement, attention and other topics dear to psychologists, he says. Plus, they get paid for playing games themselves. “We have to know the game inside and out,” says Nichols. Psychologists can also help
16 • gradPSYCH • January 2012
Pros and cons
Working on games isn’t always fun. The hours can be long —
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GradPSYCH - January 2012
GradPSYCH - January 2012
Contents
Psychology grad school enrollment drops, despite record numbers of applicants
Students leave their iPods at home during ‘crunch time’
Media Picks
Chair’s Corner
Odd Jobs
Research Roundup
Hot careers: Video game design and development
Friends and co-workers
Time to bail?
Scaling Mount Publication
Need to heal thyself?
Staying connected
Matters to a Degree
Power up your PowerPoint
Dissertations vs. diapers
Searching for answers
Bulletin Board
Jobs, internships, postdocs and other opportunities
The Back Page
GradPSYCH - January 2012
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