Looking Outwards-08

Graham Murtha

Section A

The designer I looked into this week was Lindsay Grace, an American artist who’s body of work focuses on exploring how games and interactive media shape the culture, education, and ethics of different communities. He was an esteemed professor at American University, and ran the “Gamelab” JOLT Studio there as well. He is from Miami, Florida, and, despite his many years in New York City, recently moved back to Miami to teach at University of Miami. He is also an award winning author. What I find fascinating about his body of work is how unique it is in the world of design academia, as I feel that “gaming” and “play” are bad words in that sphere. I’ve always had an issue with that fact, as games are one of the best ways to teach both children and adults alike. I have seen that, oftentimes, people my age remember more about the videogames they played in middle school, rather than the classes they took. Kids are automatically expecting to have fun while playing a game, and so if we integrate games with education, kids will automatically be more engaged in the topics. Professor Grace illustrates this through his discussion of gaming competition, and how it works as a catalyst for academic prowess and innovation.

Professor Lindsay Grace’s Website