User:Rkowert/sandbox

Rachel Kowert is a research psychologist, and science content creator on YouTube, Psychgeist. She has a particular interest in the uses and effects of digital games. She has (co)authored more than 40 scientific articles and books, including Video Games and Well-Being: Press Start , The Video Game Debate , and A Parent's Guide to Video Games.

Education and Career
Kowert graduated with a master's degree in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University and a PhD in psychology from the [of York|University of York]. In 2014, she began a post-doctoral research position at the University of Muenster in the Communication Department working with Thorsten Quandt.

Throughout her career, Kowert has focused her work on the uses and effects of digital games, including their impact on physical, social, and psychological well-being. She has served on boards for the Digital Games Research Association and the International Communication Association (game studies division).

In 2020, Kowert launched a YouTube channel psychgeist, where she posts regular videos about the science of games.

In 2021, Kowert was inducted in to the Video Game Awards Future Class.

Kowert currently works as the Research Director for Take This, a mental health non-profit that serves the gaming industry and gaming communities.

Research Fields
Kowert's work generally focuses on the uses and impact of game use, specifically its impact on mental health and social outcomes.

More recently, her work has turned to examining dark participation in games and research around streaming and other participatory cultures.

Selected Books
Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (Eds.). (2020). The video game debate 2: Revisiting the physical, social, and psychological effects of video games. New York: Routledge. Kowert, R. (Ed.). (2020). Video games and well-being: Press Start. New York: Palgrave. Kowert, R. (2019). Video games and well-being: Press Start. New York: Palgrave. Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (Eds.). (2017). New perspectives on the social aspects of digital gaming: Multiplayer 2. New York: Routledge. Kowert, R., & Quandt, T. (Eds.). (2016). The Video Game Debate: Unravelling the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games. New York: Routledge.

Selected Journal Publications
Kowert, R., & Daniel, E. (2021). The one-and-a-half sided parasocial relationship: The curious case of live streaming. Computers in Human Behaviour Reports. (4) Dunlap, K., & Kowert, R. (2021). A 3D model of mental health representation in games. Loading, 14(24), 122 – 133. Kowert, R. (2020). Dark participation in games. Frontiers in Psychology. Kowert, R., Vogelgesang, J., Festl., R., & Quandt, T. (2015). Psychosocial causes and consequences of online video game play. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 51-58. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.074 Kowert, R., & Oldmeadow, J. A. (2014). Playing for social comfort: Online video game play as a social accommodator for the insecurely attached. Computers in Human Behavior. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.004

Other Projects
In 2019, Kowert successfully Kickstarted Pragmatic Princess: 26 Superb Stories of Self-Sufficiency, an A-Z compilation of short stories about self-reliance for children aged 3-8.