Informal Gathering: Coffee, conversation, and your future as a games & learning scholar
Bring your coffee and grab a cushy seat!
Two years ago Moses Wolfenstein engaged the GLS community in a fireside panel discussion considering the development and defense of a games-based dissertation. This informal conversation is designed to pick up where that conversation left off. Now that we’ve successfully defended, what’s next? Although the number of academic programs offering games based studies has dramatically increased in the past decade, positions in the academy identified specifically as gaming and digital media studies are still few and far between. Many recent DML graduates (or soon-to-be graduates) nervously comb job listings trying to navigate the ambiguity in job postings. Those who’ve successfully found that “dream job” realized quickly that there are challenges associated with furthering a DML or games-based agenda within the academy. In addition, many newly minted PhDs have found their passion in the design community and are pursuing a career in industry.
The range of early career opportunities for gaming and digital media scholars is diverse. This conversation has been compiled to engage a group of early career games scholars in informally discussing issues related to games-based careers within and beyond the academy, andjob market positioning in particular. Participants are uniquely positioned to talk about their job hunting and early career experiences. As a result this panel will offer both graduate students and faculty the opportunity to talk about early career issues, pre-graduation preparation and beneficial transition support.
Elizabeth King, Crystle Martin, Dylan Arena, Christopher C. Blakesley, Matthew Boyer, Mark Chen, Benjamin DeVane, Seann Dikkers, Sean C. Duncan, Shree Durga, Deborah Fields, Dani Herro, Barbara Z. Johnson, Jayne Lammers, Alecia Magnifico, David Simkins, Moses Wolfenstein