IT 420K
Education
- M.F.A. Digital Fine Art, Indiana University (2006)
- B.A. Fine Arts, Indiana University (2002)
Biography
Mathew A. Powers is at home in worlds both real and virtual, teaching how to turn interests such as video and traditional analog gaming, sequential narratives, and creature design into careers. He helps students to develop skills in original personal creation; collaboration between diverse minds and talents; team-building as needed by all creative industries; business planning; and project prototyping.
Focusing on 2-D and 3-D creation, virtual reality, and game world environment construction, exotic lifeforms for games and digital narratives, Powers’ classes explore character, environment, narrative, and game creation.
- On YouTube, he’s been a writer for the History of Video Games series on the popular Crash Course educational channel started by brothers Hank Green and John Green. Hosted by Andre Meadows, the 2016 series was inspired by Powers’ History of Video Games course at IU Indianapolis (then IUPUI).
- Head of Capstone development and presentations at Luddy
- Created Vectren game on gas and electrical safety
- Received MacArthur Foundation Grant for using the Spore game engine to teach Animal Classification for students in grades 5 and 6.
- Helped create the Return of Aetheria alternative reality game for Gen Con, Indy PopCon, and Indiana Comic Con. The public ARG logged more than 900 players during its 3-year existence. Five instructors and more than 100 students worked on the project.
A gifted artist, Powers has created games and eLearning applications using Flash media development for Bloomington-based Option Six clients such as Microsoft, Eli Lilly, and Toyota.
Research Interests
- Character, environment, creature, and narrative creation and analysis
- Creating beings and life forms never seen before for public engagement
- Experimental game design and implementation
- Immersive virtual reality and gaming experiences
- Incorporating traditional fine arts into the digital realm
Also:
- Developing new ways for high and middle schools to teach traditional subjects through gamification
- Development of augmented reality games (ARGs) for public consumption and education at venues such as Gen Con, PopCon, and local area schools
- Exploring the traditional analog game renaissance
- Being active in the games for good movement, which seeks to mentally and physically heal people through game creation and innovative therapies (such as using Tetris to assist PTSD patients)
Courses
- NEWM-N 131 Game On! A History of Video Games
- NEWM-N 132 Game Design Psychology: Theory and Prototyping
- NEWM-N 262 Introduction to Comics and Sequential Narratives
- NEWM-N 330 Intermediate Game Design and Development
- NEWM-N 333 Creature and Character Design for Videogames, Comics, Film, and Animation
- NEWM-N 430 Advanced Game Design and Development
- NEWM-N 436 Game Production for the Public
- NEWM-N 462 Advanced Comics and Sequential Narratives
- NEWM-N 485 Seminar in New Media: Advanced History of Video Games
- NEWM-N 485 Seminar in New Media: Advanced Creature and Character Design