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Emma van der Schyff
Emma is a:
- PhD Candidate in CyberPsychology at the University of Sydney
- And also teaches two undergrad subjects: Human Development and Innovations in eHealth.
CyberPsychology Research Group (Sydney University)
In today’s episode of Confessions of a CyberPsychologist, I chat with Emma van der Schyff, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.
We talk about Social Connectedness through Video Games, specifically:
00:34 What got Emma into CyberPsychology.
02:06 Her research focus of ‘Social Connectedness and Online Communities in Video Games’.
03:19 What Emma isn’t including in her video gaming research.
04:07 Why her PhD research is so important to study.
05:50 How Gen X parents’ perspective of early digital games may influence their perception of today’s young gamers.
09:10 The definition of ‘screen time’ to substitute for time spent online – whatever the activity or engagement.
10:59 Whether labelling gaming as a ‘disorder’ or ‘addiction’ is part of what is pathologizing potential normative behaviour amongst young people.
13:41 The now repealed ‘Cinderella Law’ in South Korea.
16:26 If we mislabel gaming behaviour as an addiction when it may not be the case.
18:00 The statistics around adults who are excessive gamers.
19:37 Advice for adults who think they may be struggling with excessive gaming (including ‘Safe in our World’).
22:43 Some of the negative aspects of gaming.
25:48 How someone interested in video game research gets into CyberPsychology and the 2025 CyberPsychology conference in Sydney.
31:24 The book: Issues and Debates in Cyberpsychology, written by the legendary Prof Linda Kaye.
If you are interested in understanding more about the positive impact of online games, you will probably find this episode interesting.
#ConfessionsOfACyberPsychologist #CyberPsychology #Cybercology
