25. Level Up Your Impact: Dr Michelle Chen on using video games for knowledge mobilisation

View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/25-michlle-chen 

 

Video games for research?!? Dr Michelle Chen explains how games can be powerful tools for knowledge mobilisation, and how you can get started making them.

Michelle has a PhD in design from RMIT University and she's the founder of Mental Jam, a platform for sharing lived experiences of mental health struggles through video game co creation.

She shares insights on why researchers should consider video games as a medium for translation and dissemination, and provides a step-by-step guide on how to create games from research — even if you're not a coder or designer.

"Unlike traditional media, which is like TVs or movies or books, where you're just reading something and consuming something passively, the interactive nature video games really helps people become more immersed… You can go even deeper, and really break things down, and see how you can find common things from games that can be applied to your research and help people learn it in a more fun way." — Michelle Chen

This episode is a must-listen for any researcher looking to make their work more engaging and accessible. Even if you’ve never considered making a game before, Michelle offers practical advice on how to get you started.

 

Our conversation covers:

• Why video games are an effective medium for research dissemination

• How to start designing a game based on your research

• The benefits of co-design and participatory research in game development

• Practical steps for researchers with no game development experience

• How to find collaborators for your game project

• Platforms for distributing your finished game

• The pros and cons of the startup route versus traditional academic pathways

 

Find Dr Michelle Chen online:

• Mental Jam — https://purplelilgirl.com/mentaljam

• Michelle’s website — https://purplelilgirl.com

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/purplelilgirl

Things mentioned:

• Twine (for narrative games)

• Yarn Spinner

• Unity game engine

• Itch.io (game distribution platform)

• Games for Change Festival