Keynotes

• “Collaborative Design for Speculative Sustainability: Transmedia Storytelling and Games.” Keynote at “Now is the Time” Symposium at Arizona State University, 2024
• “Mediating Climate Futures: Collective Speculative Design through Transmedia Storytelling and Games.” Keynote at the “International Conference about Speculative Literary and Visual Narratives on Ecological Crises: Dystopia, Cli-fi, Sci-fi, Climate, and Society” at Shenzhen Conference, 2023
• “The Values of Games: Economics, Art, and Culture.” Keynote at E. James Holland University Symposium on American Values at Angelo State University with Ashlyn Sparrow, 2023
• “Experimental Videogames, Neoliberalism, and the Right to Failure.” Keynote at “Creative Failure in the Digital Arts” conference in Paris, France, 2022
• “Transmedia Contagions During COVID-19.” Keynote at “Visual Contagions” conference at the University of Geneva, 2021
• “Media Fictions and Alternate Realities.” Keynote Address at “After Fiction” symposium hosted at the University of Chicago, 2019
• “Networked Borders: Media Experiments in a Closed World.” Keynote Address at “Digital Diaspora” symposium at the University of Rochester, 2019
• “How to Make Better Problems: Alternate Reality Games and Speculative Media.” Keynote Address at “Futurity Factory: Science, Technology and Speculative Media” symposium at UC Davis, 2019
• “How Video Games Can Help Us Think Through Networks.” Keynote Address at “The Thinking Machine: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Neural Networks” conference at Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies in Aarhus, Denmark, 2018
• “Atmospheric Design: How Digital Stories and Games Impact Learning.” Keynote Address at Training Magazine’s Online Learning Conference, 2016
• “Affective Experiments: Gamification and Other Forms of Play.” Keynote Address at “In Play: Games, Aesthetics, Performance” interdisciplinary symposium at the University of Maryland, 2016
• “Network Aesthetics (or: How to See Anything When Everything is Interconnected).” Keynote Address. “Debating Visual Knowledge” Graduate Student Symposium at the University of Pittsburgh. History of Art and Architecture Department and the Information Sciences Department, 2014
• “Encyclopedic Novels and Network Aesthetics.” Keynote Address, Networks in American Culture/America as Network (Mannheim University sponsored symposium), 2012

Invited Talks (Since 2020)

• “The Aims of Education.” Invited Talk to University of Chicago incoming students, 2024
• “From Tactical to Strategic Media: Critical Making in Digital Storytelling, Game Design, and Networked Performance.” Invited Talk at the University of Gothenburg, Digital Humanities Centre, 2024
• “Playing with Rules: Paradigms, Algorithms, and Worlds in the Age of Gamification” (with Sarah Edmands Martin). Invited talk at the University of Gothenburg, Communications Research Seminar, 2024
• “Worldbuilding with Rules: From Algorithmic to Paradigmatic Play” (with Sarah Edmands Martin). Invited talk at the University of Bergen, “Platformization: Resistance and Play” symposium, 2024
• “Necropolitics and Video Games.” Invited presentation “Achille Mbembe and Technology” workshop. University of Bergen, 2024
• “Neïl Beloufa’s Growth (2024) and Global Agreement (2018).” A conversation with Neïl Beloufa and Gary Kafer, Renaissance Society, 2024
• “Playful Speculations (Zabawne Spekulacje)” (with Sarah Edmands Martin). Invited talk at Rzeszowskie Piwnice, Poland, 2024
• “Encounter: Transmedia Storytelling, Interactive Gameplay, and Improvisational Storytelling.” Invited Talk at Université Paris Cité, 2024
• “Art in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Pasts, Presents, and Futures” (with Sarah Edmands Martin) and “Video Games and the Digital Unconscious.” Invited dialogue and talk at “Matters and Regimes of the sensible in the Digital Arts.” Workshop for International Network Creation at Université Paris Cité, 2024
• “Reconstituting the Political Through Speculative Design and Rule Set Creation.” Invited Talk at the University of Oslo, 2024
• “Otherworldly Play, Transmedia Games, and Livestreaming Performance.” Invited Talk at the University of Bergen, Center for Digital Narrative, 2024
• “On the Art of Making Better Problems: Improvisation, Experiment, and Transmedia Performance Research.” Invited talk at Duke University with Heidi Coleman, 2023
• “Using Games to Tackle Wicked Problems and Make Worlds” (talk) and “Otherworldly Games: Worldbuilding through Ruleset Design” (participatory workshop with Sarah Edmands Martin). Invited talk at the University of Chicago Hong Kong Center, 2023
• “From (Video) Games to Wicked Problems.” Invited talk at the University of Chicago Beijing Center, 2023
• “Transmedia Storytelling and Live-Action Games.” Invited Talk at Adim (entertainment technology company), 2023
• “Creativity in the Age of AI.” Invited roundtable talk at the “AI Summit” with Johann Diedrick, Joanna Zylinska, and Jon Satrom. Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame, 2023
• “Critical Making.” Invited talk. New York University, 2023
• “Metagames and Media Aesthetics.” Invited talk. Intermediations workshop at Stanford University, 2023
• “Game Changer Chicago Design Lab.” Invited talk with Melissa Gilliam. Stanford Humanities Center, Medical Humanities workshop, and Digital Aesthetics workshop at Stanford University, 2023
• “On Climate Change and Experiential Games.” Invited talk with Heidi Coleman. Every Wednesday Lecture, Franke Institute for the Humanities, University of Chicago, 2023
• “Online Theatre & ARGs: The Case of Cene.” Invited talk with Ashlyn Sparrow at the “Playable Theatre” symposium hosted by IndieCade, 2022
• “Speculative Design: From Problem Solving to the Problems of Scaling.” Invited talk at “Re: Compute: Media Technologies and Alternate Futures” symposium at Notre Dame, 2022
• “Ludic Climate Change: Science Fiction, Speculative Design, and Alternate Reality Games.” Invited talk at East China Normal University, Beyond the Anthropocene: The Future of Science and Literature Series, 2022
• “Mediating Climate Futures: Collective Speculative Design through Alternate Reality Games.” Invited talk at the University of Iowa Cinematic Arts Speaker Series, 2022
• “Video Games: Scholarship, Collection, Preservation, and Outreach.” Invited talk with Chris Carloy. University of Chicago Libraries Staff Day featured talk, 2022
• “Co-Creating Worlds: Alternate Reality Games, Post-Truth, and Web 3.0.” Invited talk at ENSTA Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 2022
• “Alternate Reality Games: An Artist Talk.” Invited talk with Kristen Schilt and Ashlyn Sparrow. Paradise Valley Community College, 2022
• “Alternate Realities and Virtual Performance.” Invited talk with Heidi Coleman. (zero-G)fest sponsored by Arlekin Players Theatre and (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab (via Zoom), 2021
• “Experimental Games: From Theory to Design.” University of Sussex Humanities Lab (via Zoom), 2021
• “Science + Fiction.” Invited presentation and discussion at the Goethe Institut in Chicago (via Zoom), 2021
• “Beyond Gamification: Alternate Reality Games as a Mode of Problem Making.” Invited Talk at LASER Boston presented by Swissnex in Boston and New York and SciArt Initiative (via Zoom), 2021
• “Forms of Difficulty in Videogames: Mechanics, Interpretation, and Affect in a Neoliberal Era.” Invited Talk at University of Cambridge, Cambridge Games and Play Research Network (via Zoom), 2021
• “Two Recent Books on Digital Culture and Aesthetics.” Northwestern University, presentation with Anna Watkins Fisher (via Zoom), 2021
• “On Games.” Invited panel participant at CultureHub (via Zoom), 2021
• “Educating The Next Generation of Makers.” Invited panel participant at Everything Immersive’s Spring Fling (via Zoom), 2021
• “Experimental Games.” Invited talk at the Digital Narrative Network at University of Bergen, Norway (via Zoom), 2021
• “On Transmedia Tales and Meta-Games.” Invited talk at the Speculative Design Workshop at UC San Diego (via Zoom), 2021
• “Network Aesthetics” and “Alternate Reality Games.” Two Invited Presentations and Conversation at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), Germany (via Zoom), 2021.
• “Experimental Games.” Invited Conversation with Alenda Chang and Ashlyn Sparrow at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore, 2021
• “Video Games in an Experimental Age.” U.S. Studies Online Book Hour, 2020
• “Mixing Realities” and “Terrarium: An Alternate Reality Game.” IndieCade Festival, 2020
• “From Gamification to Experimental Games.” Invited talk at the “Resources and Visibility in Digital Humanities Conference” at University of Illinois Chicago, 2020
• “Experimental Games: The Terrarium Project.” Invited talk with Ashlyn Sparrow at the Hammer Museum, 2020

Selected Readings, Performances, Demos, And Gallery Showings

• “Encounter.” Three live in-person and online performances with the Fourcast Lab, University of Chicago Logan Center, 2024
• “Adventure Games.” Exhibition of a text anti-adventure game with Sarah Edmands Martin at the Glasshouse at the Center for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen, Norway, 2024
• “Playful Speculations (Zabawne Spekulacje).” Exhibition of an interactive narrative game, 24 performance texts, and 8 prints with Sarah Edmands Martin at Rzeszowskie Piwnice in Rzeszów, Poland, 2024
• “Encounter.” Virtual performance and playtest with Fourcast Lab. “Entanglement: Strange Life” series at Duke University, 2023
• “Professor H.O.R.S.E.” Video with Jon Satrom. “Creativity in the Age of AI” Exhibition. The Process Gallery, Cook Center for Arts + Humanities, Indiana University, 2023
• “Terrarium: An Alternate Reality Game.” IndieCade Festival, 2020
• “Terrarium: A Climate Change Alternate Reality Game.” ACM Hypertext Exhibition. Climates of Change, traveling exhibition at multiple venues, 2020
• “Terrarium.” Short documentary film screening. Commiserate Chicago New Media Art Festival, 2020
• “South Side Speculations” (with Jennifer Brier, Ireashia Bennett, and the Transmedia Collage project team). Arts Incubator exhibition, 2019
• “the ParaSite: Large-scale, Transmedia, Alternate Reality Game” (with David Carlson, Heidi Coleman, Samantha Rausch, and Kristen Schilt). Logan Five Year Bash at the Logan Center for Arts and Inquiry, University of Chicago, 2017
• “Speculation” (with Katherine Hayles and Patrick LeMieux). “Chercher le texte” exhibition at the Pompidou Centre and The Cube and “Digital literatures from the past and future” exhibition at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. 2013.
• “Lucidity” (with Game Changer Chicago Design Lab). Art Exhibition. Games + Learning + Society (GLS) conference, 2013
• “Pervasive Play” (with Sha Xin Wei and Alkemie). Installation and Pervasive Game. Gray Center for Arts & Inquiry, 2013
• “Lucidity” (with Seed Lynn). Game demo. Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) conference, 2013
• “The Project” (with Sha Xin Wei and Michael Montanaro). Performance. Gray Center for Arts & Inquiry Logan Center Launch, 2012
• “Speculation” (with Katherine Hayles and Patrick LeMieux). E-Literature and the Nonhuman: Juried Reading, SLSA conference, 2012