I am thrilled to share that “Game Transfer Phenomenon,” a term I coined, has received recognition and has been featured in the “A Dictionary of Hallucinations” by Springer. It is an immense honour to have my contribution acknowledged by such a highly respected source and to be listed among some of the most renowned personalities in the world of hallucinations.
Prof. Jan Dirk Blom, an expert in clinical psychopathology at Leiden University, meticulously reviewed and updated the terms in the 2nd edition, including newly discovered entities, among them “Game Transfer Phenomenon” and “Tetris Effect” are included.
The dictionary covers over 2,000 entries on hallucinations and other misperceptions. Each term includes definitions, pathophysiology of the condition, origins and references.
Who would have thought back in 2010 that conducting interviews with Swedish gamers to understand the impact of video games would lead me on such a passionate journey to understand the intricacies of our sensory perception and mind?
In my study, gamers’ reported experiencing intrusive sensory phenomena after playing. These phenomena included seeing power bars above peoples’ heads, visualising menus, hearing music, involuntary movement of fingers, and sensations of still being in the game or attached to game elements. Interestingly, many of these experiences were triggered by real-world stimuli associated with the game. This led me to coin the term “Game Transfer Phenomenon” to refer to these experiences without stigmatising gamers or their favourite games.
