Scott Rigby, Ph.D. and Richard Ryan, Ph.D. are both research psychologists by training. Ryan, a professor at the University of Rochester, has a distinguished publication record in the fields of behavior and motivation. Rigby is a specialist in interactive media development and president of Immersyve Inc., a virtual environment think tank.



GLUED TO GAMES
Praeger, Fall 2010 (World English)
Genre: Current Events & Politics
Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan

It is estimated that the video gaming industry, at barely thirty years of age, surpassed Hollywood last year in profits. Yet few understand its appeal. Rigby and Ryan know that the key to video games’ allure isn’t in the fact that games are fun (which they are) or that games are addictive (which they can be). The key is that they fulfill fundamental needs, whether it’s the player’s need for competence, mastery over challenges, or the need for relatedness.