The current study was conducted to determine whether or not electronic gaming is related to the formation of certain body ideals and appraisals of attractiveness. A sample of 219 college-aged males (age 18 to 32) completed a variety of measures designed to gather information about their game play habits, their perceptions of their own attractiveness (MBSRQ, SMAQ), and their perceptions of women's attractiveness (BCRS, FRS, photographs of women of different BMIs). Results indicate that men's ratings of women's attractiveness vary across the genres of games most frequently played but that frequency of play and age of commencement of game play are not related to self-perceptions of physical attractiveness, the association of positive attributes with muscularity, or the drive to become more muscular. However, results suggest that men's appearance satisfaction and the degree to which they value muscularity are influenced by the extent to which they compare their own appearance to that of the characters they play in the games. Results indicate that unlike other forms of media, electronic gaming is not related to decreased appearance satisfaction in players or the formation of unrealistic standards of attractiveness for women.

On multiline slot machine games, small “wins” often amount to less than the spin wager, resulting in a monetary loss to the gambler. Nevertheless, these monetary losses are still accompanied by “winning” (and potentially reinforcing) audio-visual feedback. Dixon, Harrigan, Sandhu, Collins, and Fugelsang (2010) termed these potentially reinforcing losses as losses disguised as wins, or LDWs. Dixon et al. previously showed that novice gamblers appear to somatically miscategorize LDWs as wins rather than correctly categorizing these outcomes as losses. Two studies are presented which investigated whether novice gamblers would psychologically miscategorize LDWs as wins as well. In both studies, we investigated participants’ categorizations of LDWs using two measures. First, we asked participants to recall how many times they had won during a playing session and predicted that if participants miscategorize LDWs as wins, then they should conflate LDWs and wins in memory. In Study 1, participants played 200 spins on a real slot machine game with either relatively fewer or relatively many expected LDWs. We found that participants who experienced more LDWs during the playing session recalled winning significantly more often than participants who experienced fewer LDWs, despite how many actual wins the participant experienced, or how much they won or lost overall. In Study 2, we found that participants recalled winning significantly more often in simulator games with more rather than fewer LDWs, despite identical numbers of real wins and identical payback percentages in both games. We referred to this type of memory error as the LDW overestimation effect. The second measure we used to investigate participants’ categorizations of LDWs was more immediate and direct. We evaluated whether participants would miscategorize LDWs as wins or correctly categorize these outcomes as losses by simply asking them to verbally label slot machine spin outcomes. In both studies, we found that the majority of participants miscategorized LDWs as wins rather than correctly categorizing the outcomes as losses. Implications for problem gambling are discussed.

On multiline slot machine games, small “wins” often amount to less than the spin wager, resulting in a monetary loss to the gambler. Nevertheless, these monetary losses are still accompanied by “winning” (and potentially reinforcing) audio-visual feedback. Dixon, Harrigan, Sandhu, Collins, and Fugelsang (2010) termed these potentially reinforcing losses as losses disguised as wins, or LDWs. Dixon et al. previously showed that novice gamblers appear to somatically miscategorize LDWs as wins rather than correctly categorizing these outcomes as losses. Two studies are presented which investigated whether novice gamblers would psychologically miscategorize LDWs as wins as well. In both studies, we investigated participants’ categorizations of LDWs using two measures. First, we asked participants to recall how many times they had won during a playing session and predicted that if participants miscategorize LDWs as wins, then they should conflate LDWs and wins in memory. In Study 1, participants played 200 spins on a real slot machine game with either relatively fewer or relatively many expected LDWs. We found that participants who experienced more LDWs during the playing session recalled winning significantly more often than participants who experienced fewer LDWs, despite how many actual wins the participant experienced, or how much they won or lost overall. In Study 2, we found that participants recalled winning significantly more often in simulator games with more rather than fewer LDWs, despite identical numbers of real wins and identical payback percentages in both games. We referred to this type of memory error as the LDW overestimation effect. The second measure we used to investigate participants’ categorizations of LDWs was more immediate and direct. We evaluated whether participants would miscategorize LDWs as wins or correctly categorize these outcomes as losses by simply asking them to verbally label slot machine spin outcomes. In both studies, we found that the majority of participants miscategorized LDWs as wins rather than correctly categorizing the outcomes as losses. Implications for problem gambling are discussed.

This study investigated the normalisation of gambling within the New Zealand context to explore whether an ausugenic environment exists, using qualitative interviews in combination with a self-ethnography. An ausugenic environment is one where gambling has become embedded in the cultural attitudes and behaviour of a society to the extent that it is no longer considered to be an abnormal or noteworthy activity. In order to investigate this two phases of qualitative interviews were conducted with the first being with members of the public who were also asked to record a diary of gambling related things they noticed over the course of a weekend. To better understand the results for diary participant responses, the researcher underwent the same diary keeping process during the same weekend while also revisiting locations described by the participants to validate their reports. The second phase involved interviews with counsellors from the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand to explore their attitudes towards gambling and experiences that their clients who were most affected by gambling in New Zealand. The outcomes of this research were two conceptual models that propose how individuals normalise gambling behaviour personally as well as how society both creates and perpetuates an ausugenic environment. This study also discusses the concept of environmental normalisation as a development upon advertising wearout theory. It suggests that individuals may become blind to attitudes and stimuli within their environment after prolonged periods of exposure through many different sources. The idea that this may be not simply something that advertisers seek to avoid as is classically thought, but implemented as a deliberate strategy for organisations seeking to gain wide acceptance of their product or service is also proposed. The study ten seeks to make significant contributions towards the betterment of society through use of the findings to recommend policy alterations the New Zealand Government should implement and suggest alternative ways that the treatment of problem gambling is addressed in future.

Gambling is a complicated topic not only because of its addictive features but it requires knowledge of medical, social and economic field. The current public discussion about new gambling law is moreover disturbed by false arguments and manipulations coming from activists. In the first part of this thesis I focused on paper (PCP, 2014): Socio-economic costs of gambling in Czech Republic, which is considered to be a cornerstone of new gambling law. I reviewed its way of data transfering and its presumptions and found out that the original amount of the costs were overvalued by 120 %. I also analysed the impacts of proposed measures, which have been prepared by the Treasury, the main regulator of gambling market. Measures are presented as harm reducing, but they will subvert the industry instead. In the third section I consider the threats and costs of electronic gaming machines prohibition, which had been introduced in some municipalities. The data analysis as well as field research did not validate the positive effects of EGM ban presented by anti-gambling activists. In final chapter I'm following less common approach to gambling not as a threat but as an opportunity and trying to evaluate the potential of gamblers from Germany and Austria, who are the frequent visitors of casinos at the czech side of the borders.

Given the similar conditions that e-Sport participant and athletes face during competition, itbecomes challenging to scientifically test if traditional applied sport psychological techniquescould affects e-Sport participants in their practice. Altogether, eight participants (age 22-25)participated in the study based on a convenience sample localized in the southwestern regionof Sweden. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of three training techniques (i.e.PETTLEP, concentration or physical activity) or placed as a control. The instrument in usewas the CSAI-2 survey combined with a brief semi-structured qualitative interview. The studyranged from 7th till 23rd of April, 2014. The hypothesis suggested that the participant assignedto PETTLEP and concentration training would increase more in (a) self-perceivedperformance and (b) self-confidence while decreasing in (c) cognitive and somatic stateanxiety, compared to the participants assigned to physical activity or as control. The resultindicates that PETTLEP and concentration training could, to a certain extent, be beneficial toenhance self-perceived performance and self-confidence within e-Sport practice. The result isdiscussed especially in relation to the IZOF-multidimensional model. The thesis also includesdiscussions regarding methodological issues (e.g. bias effect) followed by suggestions forfuture research. / Sedan likartade konditioner finns mellan vad en e-Sport utövare och atlet bemöter utmedtävling, blir det utmanande att vetenskapligt testa huruvida traditionellt tillämpadeidrottspsykologiska tekniker skulle inverka på e-Sport utövare i dess utövade. Åtta deltagare(ålder 22-25) deltog i studien baserat på ett bekvämlighetsurval lokaliserade i sydvästraregionen av Sverige. Varje deltagare var randomiserat anförd till en av tre tränings tekniker(i.e. PETTLEP, koncentration eller fysisk aktivitet) eller placerade som kontroll. Det användainstrumentet var CSAI-2 enkäten kombinerat med en kort semistrukturerad kvalitativeintervju. Studien pågick från 7’e till 23’e april, 2014. Den föreslagna hypotesen var att dedeltagare som var anförda till PETTLEP och koncentrations träning skulle öka mer i (a)självuppskattad prestation och (b) självförtroende samt uppvisa minskning i (c) kognitiv ochsomatisk tillstånd av oro, vid jämförelse med de deltagare som var anförda till fysisk aktiviteteller som kontroll. Resultatet indikerar att PETTLEP och koncentrations träning kan, till enviss grad, vara fördelaktig för att öka självupplevd prestation samt självförtroende inom e-Sport utövande. Resultatet är diskuterats synnerligen i relation till IZOF-multidimensionelamodellen. Uppsatsen innehåller även diskussion gällande metodologiska problem (t.ex.fördoms effekter) följt av förslag till framtida forskning.