Games Institute Podcast
Sid Heeg, and Toben Racicot, co-host the Official Games Institute (GI) podcast. Every episode spotlights a researcher's work that touches upon games and interactive and immersive technologies. Get to know the up-and-coming graduate students in human-computer interaction, engineering, arts, health and more!
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054: The Future of Recreational and Competitive Esports with Dr. Luke Potwarka and Greg Mittler
06/07/2024
054: The Future of Recreational and Competitive Esports with Dr. Luke Potwarka and Greg Mittler
Co-hosts Toben Racicot (English Language and Literature) and Sid Heeg (Environment) interview Dr. Luke Potwarka (Recreation and Leisure) and Greg Mittler (Athletics and Recreation). Together they are the founders of UWIN aka the University of Waterloo Interdisciplinary Network for Esports. Sid and Toben chat with Greg and Luke about Esports sustainability, the possible inclusion of Esports in the Olympics, and their recent trip to the University of Warwick for future collaborative research efforts on Esports development and research. Bios Dr. Luke R. Potwarka Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Director of the Spectator Experience and Technology Laboratory aka the SEAT Lab. His research involved thinking critically about sports spectatorship and consumer behaviour and wellbeing. Greg Mittler is the Esports and Gaming Coordinator in the Department of Athletics and Recreation and an alumnus of Waterloo’s Recreation and Business program. Greg has been involved in many parts of Camps and Athletics at UW for almost 20 years. Shownotes : “Our international team of researchers investigate the role of sport spectator experiences in the promotion of individual health and well-being. To achieve this goal, we employ various technologies as both a methodology (e.g., social neuroscience, eye-tracking, second screens, etc), and a means of experiencing sport events (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, mobile devices). Our lab's current work focuses on developing a better understanding of the sport consumer experience using social neuroscience methodology. We are interested in addressing the extent to which brain system activation can predict engagement (i.e., flow) and involvement in the sport viewership experience.” Mission: “The mission of our proposed network is to strengthen esports-related scholarship, teaching/learning, and student experiences at the University of Waterloo. We will advance this mission through socially just and equity-oriented approaches, which seek to make esports more accessible and inclusive spaces for all. Our mission will consider esports from a holistic wellbeing perspective, with considerations for potential physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits and harms of esports to participants and communities.”
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053: Non Playable Characters and Believable Emotion Design with Dr. Geneva Smith
05/10/2024
053: Non Playable Characters and Believable Emotion Design with Dr. Geneva Smith
This month co-hosts Toben Racicot and Sid Heeg interview incoming GI Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Geneva Smith about her research into NPC emotional believability in games. Links: G-ScalE Lab at McMaster University. “Start Your EM(otion En)gine: Towards Computational Models of Emo-tion for Improving the Believability of Video Game Non-Player Characters” - “GLaDOS: Integrating Emotion-Based Behaviours into Non-Player Characters in Computer Role-Playing Games” -
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052: Equity in Games Research and Design with Dr. Gerald Voorhees
04/02/2024
052: Equity in Games Research and Design with Dr. Gerald Voorhees
This week co-hosts Toben (English Language and Literature) and Sid (Environment) interview faculty member Dr. Gerald Voorhees (Communication Arts), about his past, present, and future research on race, decolonization, whiteness, and masculinity in games. Voorhees reminisces on past research about masculinity and “Dadification” in games, and discusses his research in eSports examining the performance of gender, whiteness, and masculinity. He also talks about joining the GI and First Person Scholar over a decade ago and leading the ADE speaker series that was held at the GI last year. Links: Bio: Gerald Voorhees earned a Ph.D. from The University of Iowa (2008) and holds a B.S. in Speech Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a Senior Fellow in the Honors Program of the College of Communication. His research focuses on games and new media as sites for the construction and contestation of identity and culture. He is also interested in public discourse pertaining to games and new media, as well as rhetorics of race and ethnicity in mediated public discourse. He is Vice-President of the Canadian Game Studies Association, a former member of the Executive Board of the Digital Games Research Association, and a former co-chair of the Game Studies area of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Nation Conference.
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051: Mechanically Achievable Gameplay with Sasha Soraine
03/01/2024
051: Mechanically Achievable Gameplay with Sasha Soraine
Co-hosts Toben Racicot (English Language and Literature) and Sid Heeg (Environment) interview Computing and Software PhD candidate Sasha Soraine (McMaster University) about her experiences with games and games research. Sasha is part of the interdisciplinary Gaming Scalability Environment (G-ScalE) Lab at McMaster. Fun fact, G-ScalE was a part of the IMMERSe network that helped establish the GI! For our 51st episode, Sasha goes in-depth about the concept of "mechanically achievable gameplay" and how it could help the game industry. This concept systemically evaluates if the target demographic will be able to play the game that is being developed. Sasha explains, “If we are building a game that we know we're going to target kids eight to nine [years old] or adults fifty to sixty [years old], are we, in our design thinking, in our design stage, when we're planning out the games, is that actually something they can even engage with or is it something that, in our design, is so far out of the realm of what they can do?" In addition, Sasha shares her experiences from the G-ScalE lab and why she sought out a more interdisciplinary style of research. Links Bio Sasha Soraine is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University. Her research interests focus on understanding the player-game relationship through the intersections of game design and human-computer interactions. Her work with the G-ScalE lab focuses on understanding player experiences through the cognitive and motor requirements of common gameplay challenges. The core argument of her doctoral work is published in “Mechanical Experiences, Competency Profiles, and Jutsu” in the Journal of Games, Self, and Society. Her recent book chapter collaboration, “Pandemic Gaming and Wholesome Philosophy: How New Players Reimaged Gaming Practices” in Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic, explores how gaming identities and practices have changed over the pandemic. When she’s not researching games, Sasha enjoys playing a variety of video games, board games, and tabletop roleplaying games.
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050: Knowledge Translation and Mobilization in Game Studies and Beyond with Dr. Emma Vossen
02/02/2024
050: Knowledge Translation and Mobilization in Game Studies and Beyond with Dr. Emma Vossen
For our 50th episode, Toben (English Language and Literature) and Sid (Environment) interview OG GI member Dr. Emma Vossen about her academic life with games before becoming the GI’s Research Communication Officer. She discusses how she got into games as a kid, her time as EIC of First Person Scholar, and how much game studies has changed since she started her PhD in 2012. Links
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049: A Year In Gaming - 2023 Edition
01/05/2024
049: A Year In Gaming - 2023 Edition
This month, hosts Sid Heeg and Toben Racicot are joined by Pamela Maria Schmidt and AC Atienza as they discuss the games they've played in 2023 and are looking forward to in 2024. Catch the latest details about their experiences with Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3, and some exciting indie games. All this and more on this special edition of the GI podcast! Stay in touch with the Games Institute! LinkedIn: X: Instagram:
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048: Adapting Player Experience with Joe Tu
12/01/2023
048: Adapting Player Experience with Joe Tu
This week we are joined by Joe Tu, who is a PhD student and GI member pursing a degree in Systems Design Engineering. Follow along as we discuss Joe's experiences with gaming, his educational journey at The University of Waterloo, and his experiences/work at the GI. Further, we dive into the insights of Joe's recent project on incorporating heartrate monitors into gaming, and his goals for potential future projects. In addition, we reminisce about Joe's experiences at CHI Play (Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction), and gaming in his free time. Email: Or find Joe's desk at the GI (It has a Christmas tree)
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047: Theatre and Narrative Games with Shawn Desouza-Coelho
11/10/2023
047: Theatre and Narrative Games with Shawn Desouza-Coelho
This month we are joined by Shawn Desouza-Coelho, who is GI alumni, U-Waterloo Graduate with a Masters in English - Experimental and Digital Media, avid gamer and theatrical performer. Follow along as Shawn discusses topics around the amazing impacts of gaming in games like Final Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, Baldurs Gate, and plenty more. Shawn also explores his experience’s in the early days of The Game Institute, the projects he worked at the GI and how they relate to digital games and modern cinema. In addition, Shawn discusses his love of theater and his current research in how racialized performers navigate and negotiate theatrical space in the southern Ontario theater industry. Links: Email: [email protected]
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046: Home-Away-Home with Dr. Derritt Mason
10/06/2023
046: Home-Away-Home with Dr. Derritt Mason
This month we are joined by Dr. Derritt Mason, who is a associate professor in English at the University of Calgary. Follow along as Dr. Mason discucsses topics surrounding their love of video games, queer representation in games, and coming of age stories in gaming. Dr. Mason additonal dives into how adolescent roles are displayed in horror games, the unique aspects of "bildungsroman" in gaming, and his book “Queer Anxieties of Young Adult Literature and Culture”. Email: Website: Book: Queer Anxieties of Young Adult Literature and Culture University Profile:
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045: Lord of the Rings and Adaptation with Dr. Neil Randall
09/01/2023
045: Lord of the Rings and Adaptation with Dr. Neil Randall
Dr. Neil Randall is not only the Executive Director of the Games Institute Research Facility at the University of Waterloo, but also an avid guide and participant in the fellowship of the Lord of the Rings universe. Here, he discusses interesting particulars in how the Lord of the Rings franchise has reconfigured itself through decades of adapatations. Alongside the scope of adaptation, our three experts touch on the importance of medium in adaptation, the specific cultures affiliated with adapatations, and issues surrounding the importance of source text. More information: Phrase "LOTRO": Lord of the Rings Online LOTRO: Dr. Niel Randall:
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044: Serious Games for the Aging Population with Dr. Lili Liu and Dr. Hector Perez
08/04/2023
044: Serious Games for the Aging Population with Dr. Lili Liu and Dr. Hector Perez
Dr. Lili Liu, Dean of Health at the University of Waterloo, and Dr. Hector Perez, Postdoctoral Fellow, discuss the concept of serious games and their application in research for the aging population This includes how Drs. Liu and Perez have used games in their research such as exercise games, games for memory, social interaction, and cognitive thinking. Their work has been used to with the intent of decreasing the effects associated with older adults living with dementia, and has led to collaborative research and design processes with First Responders in First Nations communities in Quebec, Canada. Check out their work with the Aging and Innovation Research Project (AIRP):
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043: Living History and the DMZ Project with Dr. Daria Ho
07/07/2023
043: Living History and the DMZ Project with Dr. Daria Ho
This month, the GI podcast is joined by Dr. Daria Ho, who is a professor in History at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Daria Ho talks about her passion for history, her childhood with gaming, and the importance of performance and choice in teaching. Using avant garde teaching techniques, Dr. Ho talks about the incredibly creative and diverse experiences she and her students have shared through the implication of realism and role-play in the classroom. Teams: Email: DMZ Project Trailer: DMZ Project Documentary: If you are interested in learning to play Gō with Dr. Daria Ho, please reach out through the above email.
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042: Social Media and Activism with Dr. Brianna Wiens
06/09/2023
042: Social Media and Activism with Dr. Brianna Wiens
Co-hosts Sid Heeg and Toben Racicot talk with Dr. Brianna Wiens and her involvement in social media activism campaigns, as well as her fresh take on integrating media theory into graduate and undergraduate level courses. Show Notes: DOHR (Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation): MeToo: FTT (Feminist Think Tank): qLab (q collaborative): Dr. Brianna Wiens' Socials Instagram: Twitter:
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041: Social Consensus and Empathy with Dr. Steve Wilcox
05/05/2023
041: Social Consensus and Empathy with Dr. Steve Wilcox
Co-hosts Sid Heeg and Toben Racicot speak to Dr. Steve Wilcox about accessibility in gaming, First Person Scholar (FPS), Gamergate, his academic trajectory and social impact games! Shownotes: Allergory: Factorio: Learn more about FPS: Check out the projects Dr. Steve Wilcox undertook at the GI: Check out Dr. Steve Wilcox's Wilfrid Laurier University profile: Dr. Steve Wilcox's Socials Personal website: Twitter:
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040: Haptic Experiences with Oliver Schneider
04/10/2023
040: Haptic Experiences with Oliver Schneider
Dr. Oliver Schneider joins the GI Podcast to talk about custom board games, the origins of the Haptics Experience Lab (HX Lab), haptics and accessibility, Disney Research, and much more with hosts Toben Racicot and Sid Heeg! Shownotes: Learn more about DualPanto: Check out CanHaptics: CanHaptics training course (CanHap 501 or MSCI 720 at the University of Waterloo): One of Oliver's Disney research projects: FeelCraft: Check out Oliver's GI profile: Oliver's personal website: Learn more about the HX Lab: Oliver's Twitter
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039: Board Game Design with AC Atienza
03/03/2023
039: Board Game Design with AC Atienza
AC Atienza joins Toben and Sid to discuss their pathway to becoming a board game designer and consultant, as well as their experiences in those roles. Learn about the board game industry, design philosophies, and the importance of hands-off playtesting. Other topics covered include: Why are there fewer resources for learning board game design as opposed to video game design? How does one get a job in the board game industry? What are the secrets to success with a board game Kickstarter? What is the difference between input and output randomness in design? Why are some games more fun to design than play? How do you identify systemic problems while playtesting? And what is Gen Con, the largest tabletop game convention in North America, really like? SHOWNOTES: Learn more about Wiggles 3D here: Check out Captain's Gambit: Kings of Infinite Space: About GenCon: Who is Tom Vasel? Stardew Valley Board Game: Azul: Cats: Contacts: AC is reachable at: AC Atienza's Twitter: You can learn more about the Games Institute at
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038: Welcome Back to Season Two
02/03/2023
038: Welcome Back to Season Two
Toben returns to the podcast studio with new co-host Sid Heeg. They talk pandemic pasttimes, Sid's new academic trajectory, and what games have kept them busy throughout the COVID lockdowns. To learn more about Sid Heeg: Hear more from Sid on the Games Institute Podcast:
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037: So Long and Thanks For All The Fish with Marisa Benjamin
12/28/2021
037: So Long and Thanks For All The Fish with Marisa Benjamin
Marisa Benjamin, co-host of the Game Institute Podcast, has moved on to other career endeavours. As a farewell, she guests in this exit interview episode to reflect on the experience of building the podcast and what comes next.
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036: Anti-Colonialism and Academia Adventures with Lindsay Meaning
12/07/2021
036: Anti-Colonialism and Academia Adventures with Lindsay Meaning
Lindsay Meaning talks examining colonialism in games and the games industry as the focus of her dissertation. From single-player RPGs like Assassin's Creed to board games like Settlers of Catan and Spirit Island, Lindsay has lots to say about colonialism's presence.
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035: Maker Groups and Inclusion with Cayley MacArthur
11/23/2021
035: Maker Groups and Inclusion with Cayley MacArthur
Cayley MacArthur joins the podcast to discuss her research into systems of inclusivity and human computer interaction. From knitting groups, to online gaming groups, technology brings people together, just like this podcast, and Cayley's research draws out interesting conclusions as to how digital gatherings can be improved and why they were so vital during COVID years.
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Dungeons & Dragons One Shot: Cryptid Nature Conservatory
06/29/2021
Dungeons & Dragons One Shot: Cryptid Nature Conservatory
Join DM Toben as he guides players Lindsay Meaning, Betsey Brey, Boris Ulyanskiy, and Leonid Moyzhes through an adventure during the International Conference on Games and Narrative's online sessions. The party receives an anonymous invitation to the Cryptid Nature Conservatory and have no idea what awaits them!
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034: Animal Studies and Untitled Goose Game with Nicholas Hobin
06/24/2021
034: Animal Studies and Untitled Goose Game with Nicholas Hobin
Nicholas Hobin, English PhD researcher, has devoted his research to understanding the portrayals of animals in video games. Until recently, animals in games has been an understudied topic in Game Studies. Nicholas is working hard to fill this gap, but there's still so much space to explore. Listen to him trace the roots of his work with Animal Studies, to close analyses of Red Dead Redemption 2 and, most recently, Untitled Goose Game.
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033: Narrative Structures and Gameplay in Role-Playing Games with Sabrina Sgandurra
05/20/2021
033: Narrative Structures and Gameplay in Role-Playing Games with Sabrina Sgandurra
Sabrina Sgandurra is the Editor in Chief for First Person Scholar and an English PhD researcher. This episode is a whirlwind! In under an hour, we discuss immersive narratives, role-playing games, experiential games research, live streaming, First Person Scholar, and Assassin's Creed.
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032: The Origin Story of the HCI Games Group with Dr. Lennart Nacke
05/12/2021
032: The Origin Story of the HCI Games Group with Dr. Lennart Nacke
Join us as we talk with Dr. Lennart Nacke, Associate Professor of HCI and Director of the HCI Games Group, about all things game design, gameful thinking, and user experience. Lennart shares his own origin story and the origin of the HCI Games group. He plants seeds for interested researchers to take up intriguing projects and even puts out a call (or two!) for students to find out how they can get involved with his lab.
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031: Child Computer Interaction and Games for Health with Alessandra Luz
03/18/2021
031: Child Computer Interaction and Games for Health with Alessandra Luz
Alessandra Luz, PhD student from the HCI Games Group, joins us to discuss using technology to develop games-based optometry treatments for children. Hear Alê talk about what it was like to join the Games Institute's community exclusively online and get inspired by her commitment to bring gender, racial, and disability equity into her interdisciplinary research.
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030: Haptic Research and the Haptiverse with Pelisha Samithamby
03/04/2021
030: Haptic Research and the Haptiverse with Pelisha Samithamby
Pelisha Samithamby discusses her graduate research in haptics. As a graduate researcher in the Haptic Computing Lab at the Games Institute, Pelisha is developing the Haptiverse, an online library of haptic feedback samples.
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029: VR Exergames and Social Robotics with John Muñoz
02/01/2021
029: VR Exergames and Social Robotics with John Muñoz
Postdoctoral Fellow, John Muñoz, joins the show to talk about his many projects covering: VR exercise games (exergames), game design and development, Human Robotic Interaction, and music!
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028: Competitive Cultures and WoW with Jenn Rickert
12/15/2020
028: Competitive Cultures and WoW with Jenn Rickert
Jenn Rickert closes out 2020 with insights into World of Warcraft raiding and guild culture, stories from BlizzCon and her academic adventures, and shares her love for the Games Institute.
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027: Apocalyptic Video Game Narratives with Pamela Maria Schmidt
11/05/2020
027: Apocalyptic Video Game Narratives with Pamela Maria Schmidt
Pamela Maria Schmidt joins the show to discuss her Master's MRP researching apocalyptic narratives in video games, technologies, maintaining one's culture through games, and why the Witcher is so important to her.
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026: COVID Update
10/29/2020
026: COVID Update
Hosts Toben and Marisa join up online to catch up about their activities during COVID, research, and things they're looking forward to whenever normalcy returns.
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