Professor Gareth Schott is a doctor of psychology specialising in media psychology, a media and creative technologies scholar and creative practitioner. He has employed traditional research methods, practice-led and practice-based research approaches in his research. His creative practice includes soundtrack composition, soundscapes, poster and asemic art practice. 

His psychological interests sit within self-concept theory in which he has developed a psychometric self-concept test to measure adolescent relational-selves, variously researched how our virtual lives extend and fragment our sense of self, and how our post-self (the memory of the individual that persist after death) is co-constructed through various forms of memorialisation.

Professor Schott was among the first group of scholars who developed 'game studies' in Europe. He has published research on gender and digital game cultures, measurement of player experience, gamic violence and media regulation. He was a member of the Film and Literature Review Board (Dept. of Internal Affairs) for two terms contributing to classification processes in NZ. 

His current research focuses on representation of dying, death, grief and loss within film, television content, graphic novels, documentary, music and games. He holds an interest in the changing nature of death awareness, death rights and rites.

His research has been funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), University for Industry (UK), Royal Society of New Zealand: Marsden Grants (NZ) and the Office of Film and Literature Classification (NZ).