Pete Etchells, PhD

Pete Etchells, PhD, is interested in understanding the short- and long-term behavioral effects of playing video games and using other forms of digital technology. His research also focuses on the interaction between scientists and the media — particularly how scientific research gets picked up in the mainstream news.

For four years, Dr. Etchells coordinated The Guardian’s science blog network, where he also wrote for the psychology blog Head Quarters. He wrote the books Lost in a Good Game – Why We Play Games and What They Can Do For Us and Unlocked – The Real Science of Screen Time (and how to spend it better).

Dr. Etchells has previously written for Science Focus magazine, The New York Times, The Observer, Telegraph, WIRED, Discover magazine’s science blog, The Nature Network, The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, and Scientific American’s blog network. He has also been a science consultant for BBC’s Horizon and a BAFTA Games Awards jury member.