Bio

I have been studying emerging media for more than 15 years, with a specific focus on the potential dangers and unique contributions that online video games can bring to our everyday lives. My current work is focused on dark participation in games, including the ways in which games are being leveraged for the propagation of extremist propaganda, recruitment, and mobilization. I am the Research Director of Take This, a non profit organization that provides mental health resources and information to gaming communities and the video game industry. I am also a science content creator, Psychgeist (www.youtube.com/psychgeist). I post weekly videos about the science of games. You can sign up for my (mostly) monthly newsletter about digital playgrounds here: https://rachelkowert.substack.com/