I have taught undergraduate and graduate classes on video game design and the development of digital technologies at the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley. I also incorporate design projects and other creative work into my courses on the study of digital cultures, such as in my current position at UC Irvine. I believe in learning about digital media through experimental making.
Digital media making also happens outside of the classroom. I have led game jams, workshops, and community-oriented game-making collaborations with non-profits and arts organizations — including the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, the LA Zine Fest, and the Lavender Effect.
The following is a selection of digital and creative work produced by (or in collaboration with) my students as part of their participation in my courses or under my guidance.
STUDENT GAMES (designed in my courses)
Kiss ‘Em Up (2015), Jocelyn Kim and Sean Wejebe
Designed in response to a prompt that asked students to engage with the LGBTQ history of Los Angeles, Kiss ‘Em Up places players in the role of participants in a 1950’s queer community sit-in in Griffith Park. When police come to break up the sit-in, the game offers a twist on the traditional “beat ‘em up” genre, giving players the choice to defend themselves using kissing rather than fighting.
A Few Minutes in an MRI (2015), Elaine Gomez
A Few Minutes in an MRI recreates the feelings of claustrophobia and fear associated with a jarring medical experience. Players are instructed to hold still, as are patients in real MRI machines. Meanwhile, the screen fills with thought bubbles: deeply personal reflections on family, friends, love drawn from the designer’s own life, which bombard and overwhelm the player.
The Pride Parade (2015), Harsh Fatepuria, Rahul Agrawal, and Simrat Singh Chhrabra
Constructed using the game-making platform Emotica, a unique tool that allows designers to build 2D levels using emoji, The Pride Parade gives players 20 seconds to direct a parade route past as many homes as possible in hopes of getting more people to join the festivities. Beware of footballs, though; for each one the player passes, a percentage of parade attendees peel off to watch the game.
Correspondence, Sean Wejebe
Correspondence is less a game and more a playful experiment with contemporary interpersonal communication. Harkening back to the aesthetics of letter writing, Correspondence offers “players” the opportunity to write and draw on pseudo notepaper and send their messages to friends via email.
Ultimate Star Collector: Winner of the Universe (2014), Tracy Lee, Mina Li, Calvin Lu, and Austin Shyu
Designed in the “Queer on Campus” Berkeley workshop, this game uses the mechanics of “platformers” to model the difficulties of growing up queer. Contrasting a lighthearted visual tone with the serious topic of discrimination, Ultimate Star Collector requires players to navigate increasingly difficult levels and avoid the comments of their peers, which grow only more hostile as they progress toward adulthood.
STUDENT GAMES (on which I served as a mentor or consultant)
Our First Kiss (2021) – served as a thesis committee member for USC IMGD MFA thesis
Quiet of the Leaves (2017) – served as narrative consultant for USC Advanced Game Project
The Other Half (Dave Yan, 2018) – served as design consultant for USC MFA thesis
Fight or Flight (2017) – served as design consultant for Game Innovation Lab project
COURSE ZINES
“Digital Humanities Queer,” collaborative zine created by the Queer Digital Humanities course at DHSI 2019 (co-taught by Jamie Howe and Bo Ruberg) – click image to view full zine
“Fan Studies,” individual student zines created to explore fan making practices and experiment with alternate forms of media criticism (fall 2020 course taught by Bo Ruberg at UC Irvine) – click image to view folder of zines
