Get to Know Us

Program Director Andrew Phelps is an augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) expert with a wide-ranging background in game design, education, art and interactive experiences. He is co-founder and currently serves as president of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) and he is also a professor at the Human Interface Technologies Laboratory NZ (HITLabNZ)within the College of Engineering at the University of Canterbury. With a team of impressive faculty, Phelps is leading Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Game Center to a superlative position in persuasive play and deep games.

Game Center students are makers, working side-by-side with faculty onÌýGame StudioÌýprojects and participate in theÌýworld's leading games events. Our graduate students have presented their work at GDC (Narrative Competition and Community Engagement Summit), SXSW (2017) and more. Studying in DC means that one day you swing by theÌýWhite HouseÌýfor anÌýe-sports event, the next you're helping to organize anÌý11,000 attendee eventÌýat theÌýSmithsonian American Art Museum.
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Program Contacts

Faculty & Staff

Luis Cerezo Ceballos Associate Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Dr. Cerezo is Associate professor of applied linguistics and Director of the Spanish language program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. He has been a consultant for institutions like the Fulbright Commission an…

Ìý cerezoce@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-6277

Kelli Dunlap Research Affiliate-in-Residence SOC | Film & Media Arts

Kelli Dunlap, PsyD has a doctorate in clinical psychology, a masters in game design, and a background in esports, community management, and graphic design.As a psychologist, she believes in the power …

Ìý kdunlap@american.edu

Samara Fantie Adjunct Instructor

Samara Fantie is an adjunct professor of Film and Media Arts. She works in multiple media, and has received awards for her traditional illustrations and sculpture as well as her 2D digital animation w…

Ìý sfantie@american.edu

Brigid Maher Professor SOC | Film & Media Arts

Brigid Maher is a tenured full professor in the School of Communication. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Community Voice Lab at Â鶹ÊÓƵ and Founder and Creative Director of the Anacosti…

Ìý bmaher@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2664

Mark Nelson Assistant Professor CAS | Computer Science

Prof. Mark J. Nelson is a computer scientist with a research focus on artificial intelligence (AI). His research primarily uses games as a domain of study. This includes: technical research that uses …

Ìý mnelson@american.edu

Andy Phelps Professor SOC | Film & Media Arts

Dr. Andrew "Andy" Phelps is a Professor in the Film & Media Arts division of the School of Communication at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, and the Director of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Game Center, a multidisciplinary effort that…

Ìý phelps@american.edu

Krzysztof Pietroszek Associate Professor SOC | Film & Media Arts

I am on sabbatical as of end of May 2024.I am an Associate Professor in the Film and Media Arts Division of the School of Communication at Â鶹ÊÓƵ in Washington, D.C., where I explore the …

Ìý pietrosz@american.edu

Benjamin Stokes Associate Professor SOC | Communication Studies

Benjamin Stokes is a civic media scholar, game designer, and director of . He is an associate professor and division director for the Scho…

Ìý bstokes@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2066

Mike Treanor Associate Professor and Department Chair, Computer Science CAS | Computer Science

Associate Professor Mike Treanor is a game developer and theorist whose research is aimed at finding new approaches for interpretation and expression of meaning within videogames and computational med…

Ìý treanor@american.edu

Ìý (202) 885-2749

Affiliated Faculty

Steven Dashiell Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SOC | Film & Media Arts

Steven Dashiell is an interdisciplinary sociologist who studies language, specifically the nature of discourses in male-dominated subcultures. His work looks at how understood assumptions in language …

Ìý dashiell@american.edu

Adrienne Massanari Associate Professor SOC | Communication Studies

I am an Associate Professor in the Communication Studies division in SOC. My research interests include digital culture, online communities, platform politics, game studies, pop culture, and gender an…

Ìý adrienne@american.edu

Current Students

Andrew Moger

Drew Moger is an MFA candidate in the Games and Interactive Media program. Originally from Tampa, Florida, he studied Film Studies and Creative Writing at Eckerd College. Wanting to apply his interest…

Ìý am2289b@american.edu

Michael Mrizek

Michael "Mig" Mrizek is an MFA candidate in the Games and Interactive Media program. He is originally from San Jose, California.

Ìý mm9191a@american.edu

Jocelyn Wagner

Jocelyn Wagner is an MFA candidate in the Games and Interactive Media program. After studying English at U.C. Berkeley, they decided to pursue their interest in narrative writing for games. Jocelyn's …

Ìý jw5233a@american.edu