Alex King is a journalist and former staff writer at Huck, a youth culture magazine and website in London. Now based in Athens, he writes about creative subcultures, human rights and activism around the world.

Dr. Pamela Rutledge is the director of the Media Psychology Research Center, a non-profit dedicated to research, assessment, and development of media technologies based on positive and cognitive psychology.

Dr. Andrew Kuo is the John C. Hamilton Family Developing Scholar and V. Price LeBlanc professor of marketing at Louisiana State University. Dr. Kuo’s research interests include branding, corporate social responsibility, and new media, and his work has been published in journals such as the 

. His most recent work includes research exploring the consumption of video games, participation in cosplay culture, and consumer escapism through media. Dr. Kuo also has expertise in biometric technologies such as eye-tracking, computer-assisted facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin response.

Eastern Europe

United Kingdom

North America

United States

Media and Entertainment

'When a Gaming Fantasy Is Eerily Close to Reality', The New York Times

'Plague Inc. the most-downloaded premium app in Italy and USA amidst coronavirus outbreak', Gamasutra

’THRIVING IN THE NEW NORMAL’, Thrive Global

’The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a News Powerhouse', The New York Times

'Coronavirus: how consumers are actually reacting', Global Web Index

’Two-Thirds of Gen Z Males Say Gaming is a Core Component of Who They Are’, 4A’s

'Publishers report sales boom in novels about fictional epidemics', The Guardian

‘‘Contagion’, Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 Thriller, Is Climbing Up the Charts', The New York Times

Interview with Dr. Pamela Rutledge conducted by the author

‘Nine things we learned from the latest UK coronavirus data’, New Statesman

‘New Poll: COVID-19 Impacting Mental Well-Being: Americans Feeling Anxious, Especially for Loved Ones; Older Adults are Less Anxious’, American Psychiatric Association

Interview with Dr. Andrew Kuo conducted by the author

'How brands are taking extra precaution to avoid coronavirus insensitivities', Marketing Dive

’More than 170,000 people sign up for NHS volunteer scheme in less than 24 hours’, Metro

'Coronavirus Lockdown Is Taking A Toll On Mental Health, Especially Among Women, Study Finds', Forbes

‘Plague Inc. gives a quarter of a million dollars to fight COVID-19’, Ndemic Creations

'Public Health Matters Blog – Plague Inc.', Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

With people spending more time at home, they’re turning to entertainment to break the monotony of the everyday and channel their anxiety into something more hands-on. But can escapism really help people feel more empowered? And how do they want brands to speak to them during a pandemic?

What does escapism look like in a pandemic?

Addiction clinic gives gamers mental health support

Why did E-sports Go Mainstream?

Pandemic fiction booms amid COVID-19 uncertainty

How are gaming communities levelling up?