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 AU's Game Center to a superlative position in persuasive play and deep games.

Game Center students are makers, working side-by-side with faculty on Game Studio projects and participate in the world'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 the White House for an e-sports event, the next you're helping to organize an 11,000 attendee event at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
 


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 American University. He has been a consultant for institutions like the Fulbright Commission an

  cerezoce@american.edu

  (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

  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

  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 American University and Founder and Creative Director of the Anacosti

  bmaher@american.edu

  (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

  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 American University, and as Director of the AU Game Center, a multidisciplinary effort that

  phelps@american.edu

Krzysztof Pietroszek Associate Professor SOC | Film & Media Arts

Dr. Pietroszek is an Associate Professor in the Film and Media Arts Division of the School of Communication.

  pietrosz@american.edu

Mike Treanor Associate Professor 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

  treanor@american.edu

  (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

  dashiell@american.edu

Adrienne Massanari Associate Professor SOC | General Academics & Research

Dr. Adrienne L. Massanari is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at American University. Prior to joining AU she was Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and affili

  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

  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.

  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

  jw5233a@american.edu