This is the introduction to the symposium on gaming and dreams research at MacEwan University presented at the Canadian Game Studies Association meeting in 2015 in Calgary, AB.

1. Nighttime Dreams and
Video Game Play
Jayne
Gackenbach
Grant
MacEwan
University

2. Why are dreams important?
• Rich history across most cultures
• Royal road to the unconscious – Freud
– While opened up dreams as important, he also
pathologized them
• With discovery of REM sleep and the sleep
laboratory, dreams entered science
• While not local only to REM, those that are most
recalled and most often puzzled about are
typically REM dreams

3. Dreams are Brains at Work While “Off-line”
• Like a computer which is not in use
thus no input (i.e., keyboard, scan,
etc) yet CPU still at work
• During sleep the brain is off line,
minimal sensory input, but lots of
processing of information ongoing

4. Why are dreams important?
• Function of dreams increasingly clear
– Evolutionary threat/play (Revonsuo; Humphrey)
– Emotional Regulation, especially negative emotions
(Kramer; Nielsen; Zadra)
– Memory integration & consolidation (Stickgold)
– Problem-solving, creative inspiration (Barrett)
– Metacognition (LaBerge; Kahan; Kahn)
• All this serves personal and interpersonal needs if
shared and processed but need not be as dreams
still do their ‘job’
• Unobtrusive way to examine psychological processes

5. • Media saturated society
– Video game play represents the most immersive
and interactive media experience
• Isn’t it all just incorporation?
– Yes gamers dream about games
– And no,
Why study gamers dreams?
Gamers dreams may show fundamental
structural differences in their dreams

6. • Nightmare Protection
• Immersive VR (Oculus Rift)
• Parallels to contemplative
practices
Topics of this symposium