Our Team
Bob De Schutter
Professor, jointly appointed in Arts, Media & Design and Computer Sciences
Bob De Schutter has shaped the field of age-friendly game design for both academia and industry for decades. He has developed foundational frameworks on older players’ motivations, behaviors, and design needs, influencing how games are researched, taught, and created. His work continues to advocate for meaningful, accessible play as a vital part of lifelong engagement, challenging outdated assumptions about who games are for and how they are used across the lifespan.
Age-Friendly Game Design, Serious Games, Player Motivation, Indie Games
Leanne Chukoskie
Associate Professor, jointly appointed in Health Sciences and Arts, Media & Design
Leanne Chukoskie is an expert in gaze-based biometrics and uses eye tracking to assess and train attention in interactive settings. She has developed gaze-driven games for older adults and frequently combines sensor data with AI to contextualize behavior in both physical and game-based environments. Her work also explores collaborative game interaction in virtual reality and blends cognitive and physical training to support healthy aging.
Neurodiversity, Gaze Interaction, VR
Celia Pearce
Professor, appointed in Arts, Media & Design
Celia Pearce has devoted much of her career to inclusivity in games and is widely recognized as one of the first game scholars to study older gamers. Her research on Baby Boomer gamers and game refugees helped establish older adults as a vibrant player community and positioned her as a leader in the study of online game communities. Her work on creative play communities, feminist game studies, and intergenerational design continues to shape the field.
Gender and Diversity in Games, AR games, Art Games
Miso Kim
Associate Professor, appointed in Arts, Media & Design
Miso Kim focuses on service and UX design that supports autonomy, dignity, and connection for older adults. Her work includes community-based projects on relational autonomy, technology education, and emergency response tailored to aging populations. She collaborates closely with nonprofits and senior organizations to develop services, toolkits, and games that are actively used to support older adults in staying independent and engaged.
Human Centered Design, Experience Design, Autonomy
Casper Harteveld
Professor, appointed in Arts, Media & Design
Casper Harteveld brings an interdisciplinary lens to the design and evaluation of games and interactive systems, with a focus on behavior, AI, and lifelong learning. He has pioneered research on Player-AI Interaction and developed games that adapt through analytics, personalization, and machine learning. His work advances inclusive, data-driven design through both scholarship and large-scale applied projects.
Game User Research, Serious Games, Decision Making
Brandon Lyman
PhD Student
Brandon Lyman focuses on designing games towards the strengths of older adults. He seeks to understand what skills improve as we age and tailor gaming experiences to challenge and reward those skills.
Interdisciplinary Design and Media
Yichi Zhang
PhD Student
Yichi Zhang specializes in architectural and game design, exploring how both physical and virtual environments influence human cognition, engagement, and performance.
Interdisciplinary Design and Media
Charles Schwimmer
Graduate Student
Charles focuses on studio production, game design, and complex Game AI. He seeks to develop artificial game directors capable of bending rules to enhance player engagement and agency.
Game Science and Design