This article touches on how the psychology behind uncertainty and lack of control creates anxiety. That’s exactly what the media leverages. There’s a lot of psychology behind how content is marketed including headlines, thumbnails, and delivery methods. Many of these are designed to create anxiety. So how do you deal…

Due to inflation, $70 in 1996 has the buying power of $106 today. Often people spend that much on today’s games when you factor in collector’s editions and DLC.

Talk shows were traditionally regulated by the FCC rather than the FTC. I assume that with the transition to online forms of media, they are now regulated by both. Talk shows list “promotional consideration” during their end credits, as dictated by the FCC. Numerous types of companies are listed for product placement,…

Couldn't agree more. I think it's good we're having this conversation in the gaming world before it becomes the norm. You hear all the time of magazines and blogs getting exclusives in exchange for abiding by certain restrictions. Or hosts getting interviews as long as they don't ask certain questions. Let's hope that…

Celebrities go on the Tonight Show wearing clothes they were paid to wear while promoting movies, shows, and albums they were paid to promote. Official Tonight Show videos get millions of views on YouTube, and there's zero disclosure in the video or the description about those sponsored relationships. So why does…

I played Watch Dogs entirely in single player, and I liked it, but it had some major flaws. I feel like the Bad Blood DLC was actually better than the original game for two reasons:

Not trying to pass any judgement calls, but I know Duck Dynasty is frequently criticized for being sexist. With the amount of criticism other developers have received after being accused of sexism in video games, I'm surprised Activision is going forward with this title.

As a YouTuber myself, I've done a few sponsored videos (less than 10 out of 5000). I've always done my best to disclose in both what I say and in the description. The thing that I find difficult is that the FTC also requires free products to be disclosed. This isn't just a problem for YouTubers. I know a lot of…