This is a paper presented at the 2016 Science of Consciousness conference in Tucson, AZ. Thanks to the students who have worked on this series of studies: Criag Guthrie, Dan Swanston, Hanna Stark, John Bown, and Cynthia Ma.

1. JAYNE GACKENBACH
MACEWAN UNIVERSITY
Thanks to the students who have worked on this series of studies: Criag
Guthrie, Dan Swanston, Hanna Stark, John Bown, and Cynthia Ma
Contemplative Practice versus
Video Game Play Associations:
Attention, Dreams, Mindfulness and Self-
Presence

2. When you think of video games . . . .

3. Is this the image that comes to mind?

4. Or is it sweaty button mashing teenagers?

5. there may be a connection between the them

6. Similarities in Waking
Between Contemplative Practice and Gaming
Psychological Cognitive
• Reduced depression (CA)
• Reduced tension (CA)
• Elevated mood (CA)
•Enhanced attention (A)
•Better spatial orientation (A)
•Improved memory (CA)
Physiological Transpersonal
•Physical relaxation (C)
•Reduced stress (CA)
•Absorption (A)
•Mindfulness (A)
•Flow (CA)
Benefits found in Casual Gaming - (C)
Benefits found in Action Gaming - (A)

7. Similarities in Dream States

8. Similarities in Dream States
 Higher lucidity
 Better control
 Increased bizarreness
 Third person observer

9. Studies from our lab investigating their connection
 Gackenbach, J.I. (2008). Video game play and
consciousness development: A transpersonal perspective.
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 40(1), 60-87.
 Gackenbach, J.I. & Bown, J. (2011). Mindfulness and
video game play: A preliminary inquiry. Mindfulness,
2(2), 114-122.
 Gackenbach, J.I., Swanston, D. & Stark, H. (2015). Effects
of video game play versus meditation/prayer in waking
and dreaming experiences. Journal of Transpersonal
Psychology, 47(2), 188-218. STUDY 1
 Gackenbach, J.I. & Guthrie, C. (2016). Contemplative
Practice versus Gaming: A Further Inquiry. Paper to be
presented at the International Association for the Study of
Dreams.. STUDY 2
 Gackenbach, J.I. & Ma, C. (2016, June). Contemplative
practice vs gaming in mature adults: Attention,
Transpersonal and Dream Comparisons. Poster to be
presented at the International Association for the Study of
Dreams. STUDY 3

10. Study 1
Gackenbach, J.I.,
Swanston, D. & Stark, H.
(2015). Effects of video
game play versus
meditation/prayer in
waking and dreaming
experiences. Journal of
Transpersonal
Psychology, 47(2), 188-
218.

11. Contemplative Practice: Prayer or Meditation
 Very few students meditate (2%)
 Both regarded as spiritual and/or religious practices
 Similar physiological and psychological benefits
 Some forms of prayer involve negation of ego
 Adoration, thanksgiving, reception

12. Method
 246 Western Canadian
University students
3 Groups:
A. Gaming = 74
B. Meditation/prayer = 75
C. Controls = 97

13. Method
Laboratory Session
• Change blindness flicker tasks
• two self report scales on Effects of activity
At home dream collection
• After a high activity day
• After a low activity day

14. Laboratory Results
 Performance on Change Blindness:
Game> M/P = Control

15. Laboratory Results
 Self Report: Experiences During Activity
(gaming, prayer/meditation, personal
choice)
Cognitive ns
Emotional ns
Mystical (M/P > Game=Control)
Relaxation (Control > Game=M/P)
Physical Discomfort (Game=Control > M/P)
 M/P “believe” activity has effects on daily life
while gamers do not “believe” such effects
 Gamer “beliefs” maybe due to bad press

16. Self Report Data: Dream Type
 Lucid – M/P >
Gamer > controls
 Control – Gamer
>M/P=controls

17. Judges Ratings: Group x Time Dream
 Lucid
 Group x Condition
 All of a sudden i was
surrounded by zombies.
... Then my dream
turned into a lucid
dream. So i ended up
with a gun somehow
because i thought of it
and killed a bunch of
zombies.
Controls
Gamers
M/P
High
Activity
Day
Low
Activity
Day

18. Game in Dream Coding
 Game is dream: (gamer > M/P=controls)
 In my dream I was playing Nintendo 64 with a bunch of friends at
another person's house...Suddenly I was transported into the game
and became a participant but I didn't look like myself.

19. Meditation/Prayer Content
 Meditation and Prayer Types
 Sum of prayer in dream: group (M/P>gamers =
controls); interaction
Controls
Gamers
M/P
M/P: teaching me
(mosque) about what I
should do or not and I
remember her saying a
line that’s in my
religion when your
praying ..... High
Activity
Day
Low
Activity
Day

20. Study 2
Differences from Study 1:
1. Three attention tasks
2. Five individual difference scales
3. Gender examined
4. No dream collected
5. No high versus low activity day comparison

21. Method
 Contemplative Group: contemplation gaming
 Gaming Group: contemplation gaming
 Control Group: contemplation gaming
Male Female Total
Contemplative Group 20 28 48
Gaming Group 31 32 28
Control Group 13 15 63
Total 64 75 139
Study sessions were completed in computer
laboratories and seated up to 30 people

22. 3

23. Individual Difference Scales
Validation of
membership in a
group was attained
through additional
questions regarding
gaming and
contemplative practice
including number of
games played or type
of prayer activity
engaged in
 Self-Presence
Questionnaire
 Kentucky Inventory of
Mindfulness Skills
 Mindful Attention
Awareness Scale
 Dream Intensity
Inventory
 Spiritual Dreams Scale

24. Results for attention tasks:
Change Blindness superior for gamers
Multiple object tracking superior for gamers
Stroop effect no group differences
Group by Sex Interaction on Total Trails Aborted in the Change Blindness Task
M/P=Contemplation Group
VGP=Gaming Group
CON=Control Group

25. Results for individual difference scales:
Self-presence
In theory:
Both social
media and
gaming should
have an effect
for self-presence
but no group
difference was
found for social
media use
Self-presence questionnaire was higher for gamers
for all three subscales

26. Results individual difference scales:
Mindfulness
 There no differences for the Kentucky Inventory
of Mindfulness Skills
 MAAS: Mindful attention awareness scale
 more mindful for gamers on the emotion and listening items
 contemplative and control groups were more mindful for the
preoccupied item

27. Results for Individual difference
scales: Dreaming
 Dream intensity inventory:
 both the gaming and control groups were superior in
lucid dreaming
 Spiritual Dreams scale:
 The noesis item was superior for the contemplative
group

28. Study 3 with Cynthia Ma
 Currently collecting data
 These are preliminary
analysis
 Same method as study 2
except:
 All online data collection,
unsupervised
 Seeking people outside the
university to participate
 Dreams collected
 Added a high high
group (high gamers
who are also high
contemplatives)
Group #
Low contemplative &
Low gaming (old
control group)
10
High contemplative
& High gaming
33
Low contemplation &
high gaming (VG)
22
High contemplation
& low gaming (M/P)
50

29. Validating Groups
Contemplative Practice
Self Reports
Sum of
Types of
Prayer
Focused
Attention
Meditation
Rating
Open
Monitoring
Meditation
Rating
Low contemplative & Low
gaming (old control group)
8.300 1.600 1.600
High contemplative &
High gaming
14.645 2.455 2.242
Low contemplation & high
gaming
8.273 1.636 1.500
High contemplation &
low gaming
15.936 2.760 2.360

30. Video Game Play
Dependent Variable groups Mean
How long is your typical playing session? Low Low 2.800
High High 3.750
VGP 3.682
M/P 2.041
How many different video games in any format have
you played to date?
Low Low 3.800
High High 4.594
VGP 4.364
M/P 2.878
How old were you when you played your first video
game? (Hi # is young)
Low Low 8.600
High High 9.031
VGP 8.227
M/P 8.224
How often do you read books, comics, blogs and/or
new reports about video games?
Low Low 2.500
High High 3.219
VGP 3.364
M/P 2.041

31. Social Media Use
 No differences groups for sum of social
media use or age began social media use

32. Attention Tasks
 Multiple Object Tracking
 Change
Blindness and
Stroop no
group
differences
Group Sum objects across
trials
Low contemplative & Low
gaming
9.900
High contemplative & High
gaming (HH)
11.000
Low contemplation & high
gaming (VG)
10.100
High contemplation & low
gaming
8.800

33. Individual Difference Variables
 Self Presence
 Two high gamer
groups higher than
two low gamer groups
 Kentucky
Mindfulness
 No group difference
 Mindful to activity
Sum
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Low contemplative,
low gaming (LL)
High contemplative,
high gaming (HH)
Low contemplative,
high gaming (VG)
High contemplative,
low gaming (M/P)

34. Dream Intensity Scale
 Lucidity  Control
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Low
contemplative,
low gaming (LL)
High
contemplative,
high gaming
(HH)
Low
contemplative,
high gaming (VG)
High
contemplative,
low gaming
(M/P)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Low
contemplative,
low gaming
(LL)
High
contemplative,
high gaming
(HH)
Low
contemplative,
high gaming
(VG)
High
contemplative,
low gaming
(M/P)
Spiritual Dreams Scale no group differences

35. Conclusions
 Attention Tasks
Change blindness
2 out of 3 gamers highest
Multiple object tracking
1 out of 2 gamers highest
Stroop test
2 out of 2 no group difference

36. Individual Difference Measures
 Activity experience (1)
 Effects of activity: M/P > Gamers (1)
 During activity: various (1)
 Mindfulness (2 & 3)
 General mindfulness: no group differences (2 & 3)
 Specific to activity
 2 of 3 items: Gamers > M/P (2)
 Sum score – HH & VG highest (thus Gamers) (3)
 Self Presence (2 & 3)
 Gamers higher other two groups (2)
 Two high gamer groups higher than two low gamer groups (3)
 No group differences in social media (2 & 3)

37. Dreams
 Self-Report based on a
dream
 Lucid
M/P > Gamer (1)
no difference (3)
 Control
Gamer >M/P (1)
HH > Gamer & M/P
(3)
 Game is dream -
gamer > M/P (1)
 Dream Intensity Scale
 both the gamers were
superior in lucid dreaming
(2 & 3)
 Spiritual Dreams Scale
 The noesis item was
superior for the
contemplative group for 2
 No difference for 3

38. Limitations
 Gender differences
 Game genre
 Cell sizes
 All students – thus
need longer term
contemplatives

39. Gaming and Consciousness