Net voor het ingaan van de nieuwe wetgeving rond gokreclame, vroegen we aan 20 Vlaamse jongeren om foto's te maken van alle gokreclame die ze tegenkwamen. Tijdens een diepte-interview vroegen we hen wat ze nu precies vonden van gokken, gokreclame en de verstrengde wetgeving op dit soort reclame.

Nieuwe publicatie in Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap! We onderzochten de rol van gamemotieven in het voorspellen van problematisch gamegedrag bij adolescenten, aan de hand van een survey bij 619 Vlaamse gamende adolescenten (11-19 jaar oud, 53% jongens), afgenomen op twee meetmomenten.

We explored a pathway model from gambling-like elements in and around video gaming to gambling in adolescents. Interacting with gambling-like elements in the first wave was predictive of gambling behavior at wave two, indirectly via gambling attitude and intention. doi.org/10.1080/1445...

A new study of over 2,000 teens finds those who play games with gambling-like elements are more likely to go on to gamble with money a year later🎲 Increased interaction with things like opening loot boxes, upped the likelihood of real gambling⚠️ More⬇️ spr.ly/60167ikh0

Wist je dat lid zijn van een sportclub samenhangt met vaker online gokken op sport? Dit komt vooral door wat jongeren denken dat hun peers doen (descriptieve normen), niet door wat ze denken dat peers goedkeuren (injunctieve normen). ⚽ www.mediapuntvlaanderen.be/onderzoekfic...

Descriptieve normen spelen sleutelrol bij het online sportgokgedrag van jongeren

mediapuntvlaanderen.be

New publication! Using a survey in Flemish young adults (N = 1,290), this study indicated that sports club membership is positively correlated with online sports betting frequency, a relation mediated by descriptive norms. Injunctive norms did not mediate this relationship. doi.org/10.1007/s108...

Over the past two weeks, our lab had a lot to celebrate! We kicked off the new academic year with a team building day, reflecting on our goals, welcoming new team members, and working together in an escape room challenge. Of course, we couldn't resist capturing the moment with a team photo! 📸

It's conference season! While @matthiasdebondt.bsky.social and @lise-loresteeman.bsky.social presented their research @icahdq.bsky.social (ICA) in Denver, @evagrosemans.bsky.social took the stage in Malta to discuss her research at #DiGRA2025. Congrats to all (co-)authors on their interesting work!

New publication! We validated the Dutch version of the Gaming Disorder Scale for Adolescents (GADIS-A), a reliable and valid tool for assessing gaming disorder in adolescents. It was also linked to the increasingly blurring lines between gaming and gambling: psychologicabelgica.com/articles/10....

Psychometric Validation of the Gaming Disorder Scale for Adolescents (GADIS-A) in Dutch Among Flemish Adolescents | Psychologica Belgica

psychologicabelgica.com

(Some of) DiGRA Belgium et al. at #DiGRA2025! 😀 Been having a great time in beautiful, sunny Valletta.

Made it to #DiGRA2025 in beautiful Malta! 🇲🇹

A snapshot of Belgian game studies (loosely defined) at #DiGRA2025 - and a nice showcase of the variety of games research being done in our little country! Really looking forward to the conference. Thanks to @evagrosemans.bsky.social for the infographic! 👏

I wrote a book chapter! "Empowering the Digital Citizen" provides an overview of digital & media literacy research in Flanders. Together with my @gameable.bsky.social colleagues, I wrote a chapter on gaming and gambling in Flemish adolescents. Find the book here: library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...

Check out the results of our study on sports betting and gambling advertising in Flemish young adults! ⬇️

Media Culture & Policy Lab@mediaculturepollab.bsky.social · last yr.

In November 2024, members of our lab conducted a large-scale survey to better understand the phenomenon of sports betting among young adults. 🏅 In this infographic + blog, we share the key findings from 1,214 respondents aged 18 to 25 living in Flanders, Belgium. ⚽ soc.kuleuven.be/mintlab/blog...

At the end of May, @evagrosemans.bsky.social and Bruno Dupont, together with their @gameable.bsky.social colleague Lowie Bradt, were invited to a one-day conference on the Exploration of the mechanisms of gaming, organised by UMONS and Nationale Loterij 🎲

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS! Zhiyu Chen and @biekezaman.bsky.social are studying the longitudinal impact of monetization in videogames 🎮 Are you +18 and do you love to play videogames? Interested in taking part in one (or two) of our studies? Check out the link below: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Last class of the semester today! Views on the way to the classroom could be worse 😎

On today's agenda: a workshop on how to visualize your research findings, hosted by Studio Stift (www.studiostift.be)! (Already tried to visualize the @gameable.bsky.social research, still needs some practice) 🖍️

Second semester of teaching… aka introducing students to the wonderful world of statistics and R!

Our lab had the honor of organising the annual Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, as part of the KU Leuven Department of Communication Sciences. As a result, we were not only visitors, but also presenters, chairs, and co-organisers of #Etmaal2025 💪. Already looking forward to next year's edition!

Will you also submit to the 1st International Conference for an Inclusive Digital Society (IDS2025)? ⏱️Deadline: 3 March (extended!) IDS2025 provides a global platform for an inclusive digital world, hosted by @digisoc.bsky.social 🗓️ 15 & 16 Sept. 2025 📍 Leuven, Belgium 👉 inclusivedigitalsociety.eu

Welcome to the International Conference for an Inclusive Digital Society (IDS2025), hosted and organised by the KU Leuven Digital Society Institute (DigiSoc) on the 15th and 16th of September 2025 in the historic and vibrant city of Leuven, Belgium.

inclusivedigitalsociety.eu

We had our first "Coffee and Cake Break", where everyone from the Media Culture & Policy Lab gets together to catch up on the latest studies, ask questions and have a nice chat. ☕   Yesterday we celebrated the start of our lab. Here's to many more inspiring and fun times together!

One week ago, I had the privilege of presenting my research on video gaming among adolescents at #Etmaal2025, the annual conference Communication Sciences conference in Flanders and the Netherlands. Looking forward to finishing this paper on gaming motives! 🎮

With presentations by - among others- @ansdenolf.bsky.social, @xiaoxianwang.bsky.social, @lise-loresteeman.bsky.social, @sercankiyak.bsky.social, @elievevrouw.bsky.social and @evagrosemans.bsky.social ⬇️⬇️

At #Etmaal2025, there were no less than 13 presentations by our research team! We discussed gaming and gambling, refugees and discrimination, arts, Islamophobia, data-driven healthcare, digital literacy, mental health, and everything in between. Check out all presentations below!

Curious to see what our researchers are up to? Find all of them in this list: go.bsky.app/UeZprcs

Follow along to stay up-to-date with all our publications and events! ⬇️

Media Culture & Policy Lab@mediaculturepollab.bsky.social · last yr.

Welcome to the account of the Media Culture & Policy Lab at KU Leuven!▶️ Our research group investigates the complex interactions between people, media, and culture to foster social cohesion, inclusivity, and critical dialogue. Follow us for updates on our projects, publications, and events!

Yesterday, I presented my research on gaming motives and problematic gaming in Flemish adolescents at #Etmaal2025 🎮

Arrived at #Etmaal2025!

Today is the day! On my way now 👐

Etmaal2026@etmaal2026.bsky.social · 2y ago

#Etmaal2025 starts tomorrow! Here’s what you need to know: 🕣Registration: from 8:30 on 🗣️Preconferences: 9:30–11:30 ☕️Welcome coffee: 11:00–11:50 (Level 4) 🎤Conference kick-off (keynote): 11:50 (Auditorium) 📄Programme: https://buff.ly/4giJ0zf or app