Abstract: Dr. Katryna Starks and members of the PLAYlab (Austin J Reitz, Olive Wang, Robbie Sieczkowski, Maryam Jahadakbar, Alvarez Dixon, and Lindsay Edwards) in the Game Studies and Design program will present current research in the fields of Prosocial Impact, Learning, Accessibility and Youth Development.
Bio: Dr. Katryna Starks is a Game Studies and Design academic at the University of Illinois, where she specializes in curriculum development, serious games, game design, narrative, and psychology. Holding both an M.S. and a PhD in Psychology, her research focuses on promoting health behaviors through video games, and how game design affects player identity. She co-developed a Bachelor of Serious Games degree and designed the Interactive Narrative minor within that program. Her most prominent research includes "Cognitive Behavioral Game Design": a framework for creating Serious Games.