Fall 2018, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs launched the first ever GRADflix competition. Graduate students were invited to create a 60-second video, moving slide show, or animation about their research. Entries were judged based on communication, creativity and visual impact, and technical quality.
Gustavo Tondello, GI resident and Computer Science PhD student, was featured on the UWaterloo YouTube channel in a GRADimpact profile video about his research.
Emma Vossen, alum of the Games Institute and former Editor in Chief of First Person Scholar, ran the Refiguring Innovation in Games (ReFiG) conference in Vancouver on October 25, 26, and 27, 2018. Vossen also presented a talk about teaching games related classes.
Lennart Nacke, faculty member of the Games Institute and director of the HCI Games Group, spoke on a panel, entitled "Keeping the Human in Artificial Intelligence", on December 3 at the Kitchener Public Library.
Mark Hancock, Associate Director of the Games Institute and Director of the UW Touchlab, was honoured with the 10-Year Impact Award on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the ACM International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces (ISS) in Tokyo.
Elise Vist presented a paper at the Fan Studies Network North America (FSNNA) 2018 Conference at DePaul University in Chicago, October 25-27, 2018. Vist is an English PhD candidate studying fans, immersion, and queerness at the Games Institute, as well as the producer for First Person Podcast.
Dr. Lennart Nacke joined reporter Brian Bourke from Kitchener Today to weigh in on the societal value of games. Nacke was invited to join Bourke because interest in the negative effects of violent videogames is reemerging in the media following the publication of a meta-study showing the results of 24 studies looking at heightened physical aggression post-gameplay in youths from 9-19.
Sarah Stang, Essays Editor for First Person Scholar and PhD student in the Communication and Culture program at York University, delivered a co-presentation with Dr. Aaron Trammel at ReFig 2018.
Their presentation, entitled "The Misogynist Ludic Bestiary: How Women are Made Monstrous in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)" was a condensed version of a longer article the two co-authored:
Tina Chan, Masters of Science candidate in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, is presenting a paper at IUW entitled "Designing for Engagement in Peer to Peer Support Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Gamification and the Proteus Effect".
Chan's research draws from crowdsourcing studies that combine online peer to peer (P2P) support with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), as well as the Proteus Effect.
Quantum Cats (2015), a game that allows players to learn and engage with concepts from quantum physics, is currently featured at the Ontario Science Centre exhibit "Quantum: The Exhibition," an exhibit created by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC).