My Research

After a childhood spent making and playing games, two degrees in English Literature, and a stint in Public Relations, I came to Oxford in 2020 to study avatar experiences, exorcisms, and demonology.

Here, I designed, developed and led a world-leading study into video game playing behaviours and the social phenomenon of ‘game addiction’, in particular the concepts of escapism and the emerging category of ‘Dark Patterns’ or unethical and exploitative game mechanics that leverage psychological insights to achieve advantageous outcomes for businesses at the cost of the mental wellbeing of end-users.

This is, in my view, the single most pertinent body of academic knowledge to carry as a game designer.

Player Feedback…

Throughout my four-year research tenure, I have spent hundreds of hours interviewing gamers from seventeen different countries, conducting surveys in online communities and forums, and emailing and messaging countless participants about their experiences.

I have listened to why these people play games, what they feel when playing, explored personal accounts of compulsive play, and addressed how certain design choices are implicated in emotional responses to video game worlds. I have learnt why, how, and when boundaries between reality and virtual worlds and systems begin to fray, and how to ensure this process is sustainable, healthy, and positive for both designers and players.

Data Analysis and Insights…

I have manually analysed hundreds of thousands of words worth of content and posts from across forums and message boards spanning two decades, looking for trends and producing meaningful cross-analysis of qualitative data concerning video game titles, sentiment and wellbeing.

I have presented my findings and insights to the NHS, discussed policy recommendations with think-tanks and game industry professionals, and held seminars with colleagues in Oxford.

Research Design…

I have made use of web crawlers and custom Python scripts, complex pivot tables, data visualisation tools such as nVivo, and survey tools to support and explore the data and my findings. This, along with my previous experience in market research and media analysis, has meant my research design skills are extremely proficient and adaptable to any scenario.

Cross-Cultural Awareness…

I have conducted on-site fieldwork in southern Sri Lanka with exorcists and victims of demonic possession in order to establish an argument for cultural analogues of avatar experiences. In other words, there may be examples in the human story that predate the advent of video games that can help shed light on patterns of behaviour we sometimes regard as entirely novel in the digital age, namely the creation and deep attachment to ‘avatar identities’.

I have interviewed, observed and researched Sri Lankan Sinhalese culture and history, folklore, myth, medical systems and demonic pantheons to integrate these findings into discussions of video game play, identity, and compulsion, with a great many endlessly fascinating conclusions.