Rabindra Ratan... returns to The Peggy Smedley Show to talk with Peggy about listener questions about the Proteus effect. He says technology can be used for both pro-social and anti-social purposes, but he tends toward positive media effects... read more

Robby gave Kai Ryssdal an intro to teaching and meeting in VR. This was broadcast on NPR June 1, 2022. As a longtime Marketplace (and Kai) fan, Robby was officially geeked... read more

Even if you aren’t one yourself, you probably know someone who is a gamer, whether it’s your own kids, nieces and nephews, students or friends. You might not realize this, but they have probably been exposed to — or have even already been the target of — severe gaming toxicity, such as sexual harassment, threats of violence, privacy violations and aggressive spamming... read more

What happens in video games does not stay in video games. Sometimes, this is a good thing: Decades of research suggest that video games often influence players in positive ways, such as increased psychological well-being, enhanced problem-solving and spatial-rotation skills, and even increased interest in STEM fields. But too often, these benefits of video gaming are counteracted by rampant toxic behaviors... read more

A new study published in American Behavioral Scientist suggests that the gender gap in video gaming ability is eliminated when accounting for previous gameplay experience... read more

PEOPLE WHO SAY they stand up to bullying and harassment in videogames are also more likely to support the Black Lives Matter movement. That’s according to a joint survey conducted by WIRED and Michigan State University media and information professor Rabindra Ratan earlier this year... read more