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Dr Rachel Kowert
- Rachel is a Science, Games and Technology Policy & Product Advisor and a Researcher – she focuses on mental health, and trust & safety in digital games and game adjacent spaces.
- She is the founder of Psychgeist – a multimedia content production studio for the intersection of science and games – which includes a YouTube channel and a book series published by Play Story Press.
- And she is doing her best to make the (digital) world a better place.
In today’s episode of Confessions of a CyberPsychologist, I chat to Dr Rachel Kowert a Science, Games and Technology Policy & Product Advisor and a Researcher.
We talk about The Science of Digital Games and focus on:
02:34 Who she is and what started her journey in CyberPsychology
06:22 The Multimedia channel (Psychgeist) that she started during Covid Lockdowns in 2020.
14:26 Her topline learnings from her research into Digital Games including general uses and effects of games, extremism and radicalization and the Metaverse.
18:49 Her role as Strategic Policy Advisor at Discord and some advice for parents whose children are on Discord.
24:07 Some advice for those wanting to go into a career of CyberPsychology, especially Online Gaming and Mental Health.
28:08 Her love of CyberPsychology and The Science of Gaming.
29:11 How the narrative around gaming and moral panic is changing to better represent academic findings.
If you are interested in the psychology of online games, you will probably find this episode interesting.
Dr Rachel Kowert's Research and Publications
Source (information taken directly from): https://rkowert.com
Extremism and Radicalization in Digital Games
Games are venues where extremist radicalization and recruitment occurs. My work in this area is focused specifically on the cultural elements of gaming spaces that may be leveraged as digital assets of influence.
Mental Health and Digital Games
The impact of digital games on mental health has been found to be both positive and negative. Learn more about my work in this area which has specifically focused on the impact of mediated communication and social communities in digital gaming spaces.
Hate, Harassment, and Dark Participation
Toxic gamer culture is a term that has been associated with digital gaming spaces for a significant amount of time. Learn more about my work in the field of hate, harassment, and dark participation, within online gaming spaces.
General Uses and Effects of Digital Games
Not all research can fit neatly into a box. Learn more about my other work in the gaming spaces, including my work on parental advocacy, games and learning, and dark patterns.
There remains more questions than answers when it comes to future technologies, particularly within discussions about the so-called “metaverse”. My work in this space has largely been advocacy work around mental health and trust and safety in these spaces of the future.
