<p>Since I joined the faculty, much has changed in games research at the University of Chicago. We now have a <a href="https://cms.uchicago.edu/undergraduate/why-study-media-arts-and-design/major-media-arts-and-design">Media Arts and Design</a> major with a game design emphasis. I have also cofounded three labs that demonstrate just how versatile a form games have become. First, the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab, which I started with [then] medical professor Melissa Gilliam, creates games as educational tools to improve public health; encourage underrepresented youth to pursue STEM pathways; and explore race, gender, and sexuality. Second, the <a href="https://fourcastlab.com/">Fourcast Lab</a>, which I created with theater and performance studies professor <a href="https://taps.uchicago.edu/people/heidi-coleman"><strong>Heidi Coleman</strong></a> [AM’08], designs artistic "alternate reality games" with science faculty about topics such as climate change and epidemiology. Finally, the <a href="https://www.logancenter.uchicago.edu/mediaartsdesign/wgl">Weston Game Lab</a>, a student-facing initiative I run with game designer <a href="https://civicengagement.uchicago.edu/partners/ashlyn-sparrow"><strong>Ashlyn Sparrow</strong></a>, provides resources to—for instance—a student who wants to understand the history of Japanese role-playing games; a collaborative team that seeks to create an entertainment game; or a research group in public health, quantum computing, or financial education.</p> <style> p { font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; }</style>