FREE ONLINE Reading & Conversation on The Gaming Mind with Alex Kriss

In his therapy office, Kriss looks at videogames as a window into the mind. Is his patient Liz really “addicted” to Candy Crush — or is she evading a deeper problem? Why would aspiring model Patricia craft a hideous avatar named “Pat”? And when Jack immerses himself in Mass Effect, is he eroding his social skills — or honing them via relationship-building gameplay?

Weaving together Kriss’s personal history, patients’ experiences, and professional insight — and without shying away from complex subjects, such as online harassment — The Gaming Mind disrupts our assumptions about “gamers” and explores how gaming can be good for us. It offers guidance for parents, clinicians, and the rest of us to better understand the gaming mind. Like any mode of play, at their best, videogames reveal who we are — and what we want from our lives.

Alexander Kriss, Ph.D., runs a psychotherapy practice in New York City, where he treats patients dealing with various issues, including videogame “addiction” (a term he disputes). He is an adjunct professor of psychology at the City College of New York and at Fordham University, and a clinical associate at the Safran Center for Psychological Services. Kriss’s writing on mental health and technology has appeared in Logic, Kill Screen, and numerous academic publications. He lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York.