Hello!
Welcome to the little corner of the web for Dr. Rachel Kowert, PhD. She is a globally recognized researcher on the uses and effects of digital games, award winning author, and science content creator.
Here you can find information on Dr. Kowert’s publications and research. If you have any questions or are interested in exploring potential collaborations, please feel free to contact via e-mail.
For more on the psychology of games, please visit her YouTube channel: Psychgeist.
About Me
Rachel Kowert, Ph.D is a research psychologist and the Research Director of Take This. She is a world-renowned researcher on the uses and effects of digital games, including their impact on physical, social, and psychological well-being. An award-winning author, she has published a variety of books and scientific articles relating to the psychology of games and, more recently, the relationship between games and mental health specifically. Her published works include peer-reviewed books such as The Video Game Debate, The Video Game Debate 2, and Video Games and Well-being: Press Start, as well as community-focused books such as A Parent’s Guide to Video Games, and Pragmatic Princess. Recently, she founded her YouTube channel Psychgeist, which serves to bridge the gap between moral panic and scientific knowledge on a variety of psychology and game-related topics.
As seen in
Available for
- Feature writing
- Guest editing
- Research & Consultation
- Interviews
- Guest Speaking
- Workshops
Previous collaborations
Books
For more on the science behind the development of the stories within Pragmatic Princess, see BuildYourOwnCastle.com.
Latest books
Published November 2020
The Video Game Debate 2
Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games
This student-friendly book provides an accessible overview of the primary debates about the effects of video games. It expands on the original The Video Game Debate to address the new technologies that have emerged within the field of game studies…
Published January 2020
Video Games and Well-being
Press Start
This book examines how video game mechanics and narratives can teach players skills associated with increased psychological well-being. It integrates research from psychology, education, ludology, media studies, and communication science to…
Published December 2019
Pragmatic Princess
26 Superb Stories of Self-Sufficiency
An A-Z compilation of short stories about self-reliance designed for children aged 3-12+.
Within each story in Pragmatic Princess, the main character in is confronted with a typical childhood challenge (e.g., a fear of trying something new or…
Published February 2017
New Perspectives on the Social Aspects of Digital Gaming
Multiplayer 2
Expanding on the work in the volume Multiplayer, this new book explores several other areas related to social gaming in detail. The aim is to go beyond a typical “edited book” concept, and offer a very concise volume with several focal points that…
For the full catalog, please visit the Books page.