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Nick Ballou

Postdoctoral Researcher

Nick Ballou

Postdoctoral Researcher

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About

Howdy! I’m a postdoc researching how video games affect players. My goal is to move long-standing debates forward by:

1) Generating stronger theory that specifies *for whom and under what circumstances* games will affect people, both positively (e.g., social support) and negatively (e.g., excessive play)
2) Using detailed behavioral data from games and platforms, rather than simplistic self-reports of time
3) Studying players over long periods of time, in their natural gaming contexts

A broader goal of my work is to make psychological research on games more rigorous and trustworthy. I’m deeply involved in open science advocacy, training, and meta-scientific research.

I’m currently finishing my PhD at Queen Mary University of London.

Research Interests

Video games, psychology, formal theory, open research, meta-science, digital trace data

Positions at the OII

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, May 2023 -

Research

Projects

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