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Pete Etchells

Headshot of Pete Etchells

Pete Etchells is a professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, where he researches the behavioural and wellbeing impacts of playing video games, and digital technology use more generally. He is the author of Lost in a Good Game and Unlocked

March 2024

  • an illustration of a pixelated goldfish on the screens of a cloud of smartphones

    Scroll on: why your screen-time habits aren’t as bad as you think they are

    The increasing use of digital technology has inspired many scare stories, but is it reducing our attention span, does smartphone addiction actually exist – and should we even be feeling bad about it?

August 2023

  • Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush

    Let’s ditch the tired tropes about video games – and research their impact properly

    Pete Etchells
    No, gaming isn’t a niche, violence-inducing pastime – it’s the defining entertainment medium of our time, says professor of psychology Pete Etchells

April 2019

  • evil joypad

    Five damaging myths about video games – let’s shoot 'em up

    Does video gaming really breed antisocial behaviour and isolation? On the contrary…

December 2018

  • Bajau free diver

    The science stories that shook 2018

    Our guest scientists pick the breakthroughs and discoveries that defined their year, from insights into human evolution to our first trip aboard an asteroid

August 2018

  • Science bloggers were given the freedom to publish without direct editorial control – a model no other mainstream newspaper has ever tried.

    Head quarters
    Farewell to the Guardian's science blog network

    After eight brilliant years, the Guardian’s science blog network comes to a close today
  • Psychologists face a unique challenge: we use our minds to study the mind. The field is now in a better place to be able to do that robustly.

    Head quarters
    Open science is now the only way forward for psychology

    Next week the Guardian will be closing the Science Blog Network. We take a final look at the journey psychology has made toward becoming a robust and mature science
  • The debate around screen time needs to be more measured, and grounded in a strong evidence base.

    Head quarters
    Three problems with the debate around screen time

    The cycle of moral panic around screen time and technology use feels endless. Here are three issues we need to address before we can move the debate on

February 2018

  • Bowl of fresh tomato soup. Image shot 2008. Exact date unknown.<br>B9CA9Y Bowl of fresh tomato soup. Image shot 2008. Exact date unknown.

    Head quarters
    Mindless eating: is there something rotten behind the research?

    A storm of retractions, corrections, data irregularities and controversy over duplicate publication are destroying the credibility of Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab. It’s time for the university to be open about what’s going on

November 2017

  • A new study shows a correlation between social media use and depression and suicide in US teens. But the picture is more complicated than that.

    Head quarters
    When it comes to claims about screen time we need more sense and less hype

    A new study claims a link between screen time and increased rates of depression and suicide in US teens. But what do the data actually say? And how can we move towards a more rational debate about digital technology?

September 2017

  • SpecialEffect

    Head quarters
    Games developers raise funds to get people with disabilities back into gaming

    The gamers’ charity SpecialEffect is holding One Special Day, a day-long fundraising drive to help people with disabilities get back into the video games they love

August 2017

  • Postdoctoral research can be an isolating experience

    Head quarters
    The human cost of the pressures of postdoctoral research

    A paper on conformal algebra has recently caused a stir on social media. Not because of the science, but rather the heartfelt plea in the acknowledgements

April 2017

  • Scientists start to meet at the Science Museum in London for the start of the March for Science, 22 April 2017

    Science blog network
    People march for science around the UK - in pictures

    Gallery18
  • Where's Wally? bought<br>Undated handout photo issued by Where's Wally? of a scene from a Where's Wally? book. Children's book character Where's Wally? is set for a technological face-lift following its acquisition today by specialist children's media group Entertainment Rights. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday January 22, 2007. The group, which also owns the rights to Postman Pat and Rupert Bear, said it planned to launch the series onto a host of new media platforms including the internet, computer software, mobile phones, gaming and education. See PA story CITY Entertainment. Photo credit should read: Where's Wally?/PA Wire.

    Mind games
    Where did I put those keys? - the psychology of foraging

March 2017

  • Hands by a plate of salad

    Head quarters
    Fresh concerns raised over academic conduct of major US nutrition and behaviour lab

    With eleven publications already under scrutiny, new evidence emerges of duplicate publication and data irregularities in the work of Professor Brian Wansink

February 2017

  • We have unprecedented access to news and knowledge on a daily basis, but how do we make judgments about whether to accept what we read?

    Mind games
    Fake news and neurobabble: how do we critically assess what we read?

    With unprecedented access to news and knowledge, how do we make judgements about what we read? Neuroscience news is a case in point

January 2017

  • Sally-Anne test illustration

    Mind games
    The Sally Anne task: a psychological experiment for a post-truth era?

    We may be entering the ‘alternative facts’ era – but psychologists have been studying how we develop an understanding of false beliefs for decades

October 2016

  • Illustration of person touching head

    Mind games
    Did a memory experiment really show evidence for psychic abilities?

    Here’s a Halloween-themed Mind Game for you. A 2011 psychology study claimed to show evidence for precognition - but had more to say about the state of psychology research than anything paranormal
  • Bouba/kiki effect image

    Mind games
    The bouba/kiki effect: how do we link shapes to sounds?

    Mind gamers, here’s a strange little test for you. Which of these shapes is a bouba, and which is a kiki? And what does this have to do with the evolution of language?
  • We’re looking for brilliant writers who can bring our shared past to life in their writing.

    Notes & Theories
    Archaeology and anthropology bloggers: would you like to write for the science blog network?

    We’re starting a new search for exceptional writers who can bring archaeology and anthropology to life

September 2016

  • Thatcher illusion

    Mind games
    The Thatcher illusion: Are faces special?

    Mind gamers: why was a picture of Margaret Thatcher so important for understanding the human visual system?
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