Below you’ll find various projects I’ve spearheaded, from publications to resources to game jams.
First Person Scholar
I co-founded and was the first editor-in-chief of First Person Scholar, a middle-state publication that fosters accessible conversations on the study and design of games. The site is home to essays, commentaries, and book reviews from graduate students to more established game scholars on the design of games, their cultural impact, and the role they play in our lives. [Link]
Game Studies 101
Starting as a HASTAC project, Game Studies 101 has become a popular introductory site for games criticism, journalism, and scholarship. The site serves as a repository for formative and accessible journal articles, critiques, books, videos, and games. One of the goal’s of the site is to subvert the traditional ‘canon’ of games scholarship by drawing from a wide array of sources to present a range of accessible entry points into studying, critiquing, and creating games. [Link]
Decolonization Game Jam (2019)
This game jam introduced students to colonial history in Canada as well as the colonial game mechanics that underlie popular games in the 4X genre—games built on the mechanics of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. The history portion was presented by Jaydene Lavallie who provided an overview of colonialism in North America. The jam consisted of players ‘decolonizing’ gameplay by remaking the core mechanics of 4X games like Settlers of Catan to be more sustainable, communal, and cooperative. The game jam was inspired by game designer and artist Golboo Amani and her ‘Unsettling Catan’ project,
Positive Play Game Jam (2018)
In partnership with the Canadian Public Health Association, this jam addressed issues around sexual health and healthcare. Participants included students and faculty from game design and public health, as well as community members from sexual health clinics, and experts from CPHA. The jam saw various games about barriers to sexual healthcare, social stigma and biases, as well as processes and procedures that could ease access to healthcare.