The Miami University Worldbuilding + Narrative Design Research Laboratory (WNDRLab) is an incubator for new storytellers. WNDRLab explores not only new narrative design techniques and storytelling technology, but training in how to thrive as a modern storyteller.

The majority of WNDRLab's focus is on building fictional worlds and future scenarios for the real world, using both for entertainment, insight, or to inform and influence change.

WNDRLab is housed in Miami University's Department of Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD), which explores how new technology can affect positive change in almost any aspect of society. The program, strongly interdisciplinary, is comprised of faculty from the worlds of business and design, obviously, but also from data science, engineering, programming, the arts and the humanities.

Principal Investigator

Geoffrey Long, Ph.D. is a storyteller, scholar, and consultant exploring the future of storytelling and how storyworlds and technology co-evolve. He is an Assistant Professor in the Emerging Technology in Business and Design department at Miami University, the Director of Miami's Games and Simulation program and its Worldbuilding + Narrative Design Research Laboratory (WNDRLab), and a co-editor of MIT Press' Playful Thinking book series.

In his previous academic and professional lives Geoff has been a Visiting Assistant Professor in Digital Liberal Arts and Director of the Whittier Other Worlds (WOW) Lab at Whittier College; Creative Director for the World Building Media Lab at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts; Technical Director and Creative Director for the Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism; cofounder of Microsoft Studios' Narrative Design Team; a member of a "future of media" think tank under Microsoft CTO/CXOs J Allard and Ray Ozzie; and a founding member of the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab and the Convergence Culture Consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His writing has appeared in The Edison Project from the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab; Durhy Kurtz and Bourdaa's The Rise of Transtexts: Challenges and Opportunities and Wolf's Revisiting Imaginary Worlds: A Subcreation Studies Anthology, both from Routledge; and the extended online edition of Jenkins, Ford and Green's Spreadable Media from NYU Press. As a scholar and consultant Geoff has worked with Amazon Studios, BET, Cisco, the City of Los Angeles, DirecTV, Fidelity, FOX, Havas, HBO, IBM, Intel, the Los Angeles Times, MTV, Ravensburger, Turner Broadcasting, Walt Disney Imagineering and Warner Bros.

Geoff holds a BA in English and Philosophy from Kenyon College, a master's in Comparative Media Studies from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Media Arts + Practice from USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

Personal Site | LinkedIn

Student Research Associates

Jason Allen (class of 2024) is a storyteller, game designer, worldbuilder, esports caster, and student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio studying game development with a minor in computer science. Jason’s storyworlds highlight progressive beliefs and raise awareness on marginalized communities, specifically the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, Jason solely started up JdotGames, a gaming company to hold all of the games he would make in the future. Additionally, Jason is a play-by-play caster for Miami University’s collegiate varsity League of Legends team, and has been doing so since his freshman year.

Jason has a significant amount of experience in creating open world and collectible card games. The Fahrlend series is nearing its seven-year anniversary, with multiple games being produced across different mediums, including collectible card games and Minecraft world maps. The Fahrlend series has developed multiple stories across numerous titles, including Fahrlend: Corruption (2016), Fahrlend: Corruption (Definitive Edition) (2019), Fahrlend: Invasion (2019), Last Stand (2021-), War of Champions (2020-), and Adventures in Fahrlend (2021). These stories can easily be tied together, while also leaving wiggle room for fans to connect certain unknown pieces together.

LinkedIn | Itch.io

Chase Bernotas (class of 2024) is an independent game designer from Pittsburgh, PA with a focus on storytelling, pixel art, and worldbuilding. He loves telling grand stories with deep, layered characters that invoke senses of wonder and relation in readers, which is often reflected in the worlds he's helped build. In addition, he is a part of multiple multimedia projects, both as a host and as a promoter, working to bring attention to the works of other developers.

LinkedIn | Artstation

Tommy Bozzelli (class of 2025) is a designer and writer who focuses on crafting games both digital and physical. He is also a writer passionate about creating story worlds, narratives, and transmedia storytelling experiences. He is a Miami University student majoring in Games and Simulations and minoring in Creative Writing, and is based out of Oxford, Ohio while at school and Columbus, Ohio while away from school.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Elizabeth Cool Leitzell (she/her) (class of 2025), is a passionate artist and gamer. She loves creating her own stories and characters to bring to life along with them. At the young age of 11, she decided she wanted to pursue my passion for art in a professional manner. She spent her free time working on art and practicing new mediums and techniques. She has been self-taught for the majority of her art journey; it was not until attending college when she got real exposure to art education.

Currently, she is a student at Miami University in Oxford, OH. She is pursuing a Bachelor's in Games and Simulation with a minor in Studio Art. She still has a passion for character art and design, but now her passion has grown to include game design. Recently she has been making efforts towards learning animation, jewelry making, and various other mediums to broaden her skillset.

Portfolio | LinkedIn | Instagram

Noah Davis (class of 2024) is an emerging Multimedia Artist and Designer currently located in Cincinnati, Ohio with goals of working internationally within Germany.

Recently he has begun to establish his independent creative development business called Loose Kobolt Games as he has begun the sale and publishing of his tabletop role playing sourcebooks for a growing interconnected worldbuilding project.

In the near future, he is going to undertake scholarly research into analyzing the anthropological methodologies for intercultural design by traveling abroad in Germany and studying what makes key marketable and multipurpose designs with true international appeal.

Noah has worked on projects for creating the narrative and worldbuilding for storyworlds, game design and development from VR to Game Boy, delved into projection mapping with Notch Builder, planned social marketing campaigns, directed user experience research for web design, and even bolstered skills for 2D art and 3D sculpture.

Portfolio | LinkedIn | Itch.io

Gianni Dimacchia (class of 2024) is an artist, storyteller, and game designer primarily focusing on whatever absurd idea he's just come up with. He loves focusing on vibrant story worlds with deep lore that you can lose yourself in. He's the creator of Here Be Cryptids and Hell Hotel, as well as the Hunter Vault project, which provides a deeper look into the lore of Here Be Cryptids. He is currently a student in Miami University's Games + Simulation program with a concentration in Game Art. His goal is to eventually work for a development studio in either art or writing to create characters and stories.

Portfolio | LinkedIn | Instagram | Artstation

Always wanting to tell an interesting, gripping story, Cliff Fraley (class of 2025) is a narrative & game designer, storyteller, worldbuilder, and student at Miami University. Currently lead level designer for a game project headed by two colleagues, Cliff wants to delve into the world of game design from the point of ludic sublime and ludonarrative harmony, wanting the storyworld to mix perfectly with the gameplay and mechanical aspect of a title. His goal right now is to grow more as a writer and designer to sharpen his skills, and continue to work on storyworlds and narratives that hook the consumer and leave a positive impression.

LinkedIn

Ryan Golden (class of 2025) is a junior at Miami University of Ohio with a Games and Simulation major with a focus on game art and a minor in Japanese. Ever since he was young, he has always had a love of video games. They shaped the way he interacted and thought about the world. After gaining further knowledge at Miami University, he has gained a wide variety of skills ranging from storytelling, level design, 2D pixel art, and 3D modeling/animation. As a digital artist, he is interested in the visual side of games and how their art is created and used to create engaging experiences. His favorite genre of games, fighting games, tend to have both a unique blend of gameplay and visual storytelling. He has worked on games in the past as a lead artist, collaborating with his teams to put out outstanding creative work. He believes that you should always give it your all, no matter the situation. This methodology forms the basis for all his work.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Angel Hardy (class of 2025) is a technical artist currently based in Southwestern Ohio. He loves art and technology, and is passionate about combining the two!

Portfolio | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

Connor Harmon is a 2D/3D projection mapping artist from Cincinnati who specializes in live, immersive experiences. Utilizing software like TouchDesigner and Unreal Engine 5.3, Connor works to provide performances and exhibitions with dynamic showcases of visual spectacle that can be individually experienced on a personal level to each viewer.

In 2022, Connor presented his installation at BLINK Cincinnati alongside a group of fellow students from Miami University titled, Isolation/Unity/Community. The five-minute long animation was projected on the Hanke Building throughout the duration of the festival, combining a rich blend of storytelling with audiovisual performance to create an experience that captured the feelings we all experienced during 2020’s pandemic lockdown and how art served to connect us through those challenging times.

In conjunction with individual projects, Connor has worked with several other clients to add his projection mapping visuals to concerts and showcasings, including Montgomery Township’s Bastille Day Celebration, the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, and working with Meptik to install Miami University’s new XR stage.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Stella Kinoshita (class of 2026) is a traditional and digital 2D and 3D artist and animator working on a BS in Game Design. In her free time, she enjoys finding and playing the most obscure and visually appealing indie games that she can find, as well as watching a variety of obscure television (for science). She also sings in a band and is an artist and animator, as well as the social media manager in the company she co-founded, Julius Fngis Studios.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

With a drive to try as many things as possible, Grace McGann (class of 2024) always felt a connection with the quote, "jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one." If there is a limit to what she can try she hasn't found it yet! She's currently a student at Miami University with a major in Game Design and Simulation and a minor in Studio Art. She spends a lot of her time working on different art-related projects and working on advancing her skills. She's love to get a job related to 3D Art and Animation. She also enjoys singing, traveling, photography, and scuba diving!

LinkedIn | Instagram

Jelani McKenzie (class of 2024) is a game developer, storyteller, and avid enthusiast for all things fiction. In his designs, he values perspective and diversity of thought above all else. This philosophy is rooted in his passion for many genres of fiction, as well as his experiences traveling in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates, among others. He is always looking to learn something new and to use that knowledge to enhance his creative process as well as his worldview.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Cory O'Brien (class of 2025) is an honors student at Miami University currently studying how to create unique and engaging gameplay systems. His skills are centered in computer science (writing code, testing systems, debugging), with areas of focus in game design, systems design, audio design, narrative design, and writing.

He enjoys working with games because they can provide entertainment experiences not possible in any other mediums. He's always looking for new techniques and methods to apply to projects to create even more enjoyable experiences. He participated in the Global Game Jam multiple times and is comfortable working on both team and solo projects. He's currently looking for a tech internship for summer 2024.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Nic Scharf (class of 2025) is a current student at Miami University, majoring in Games and Simulation with a focus in the art and storytelling aspects. With a lifetime of gaming experience in every genre, including but not limited to Zelda, Titanfall 2, Little Nightmares, The Last of Us, and more, the combination of multiple storytelling methods shines through in this newest work. They work hard to bring enchanting stories and relatable characters to life, giving the audience an experience unique to this world.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

J Scherrer (class of 2024) is an immersive experience and game designer driven by their passion to create immersive, interactive, unbelievable experiences that spark wonder, creativity, and joy.

They use Unreal Engine, TouchDesigner, Notch, Unity, Godot, and more to explore the new world of immersion and interaction that emerging technology enables.

Pursuing their love for design, technology, and immersive storytelling, they are currently an undergraduate student at Miami University of Ohio, where they are studying Emerging Technology in Business & Design, Games & Simulation, and Computer Science.

Portfolio | LinkedIn | itch.io

Sami Scigouski (class of 2024) is a current Games and Simulations major at Miami University. She is a game designer and writer, photographer, and competitive equestrian. Her wide range of interests, skills, and hobbies blend into her game design work, allowing her to create interesting games from a unique perspective. Throughout high school and college, she joined many clubs and activities and grew her ability to work within groups and as a leader. She is currently looking for work in the games field and to grow her experience in game writing, game design/development, and narrative design.

Sami has built two fully functional 2-D style games and assembled a small 3-D interactive world, all of which using Unity. She has also written, created, and DMed a homebrew Dungeons and Dragons 5E module and a standalone RPG game titled Escape from the Lab that features a unique ruleset and takes players through a mysterious underground lab. She is also the creator of the TTRPG game series Hallow-Trapped, a self-contained RPG system that aims to bridge the gap between hardcore RPG players and casual board game enthusiasts by offering a simple introduction into the complex world of RPG games. She is currently working on a narrative based horror game, Kameran. Players piece together the story of their fellow archeologist's downfall and avoid an invisible and blind monster with a reality-altering polaroid camera.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Donald Waddy (class of 2024) is a professional writer/art director from Cleveland Ohio. He wants to create games that will change people’s lives around the world and give back to the community that has done so much for him. He spends a lot of his time creating worlds he is always creating. He gets his ideas from anywhere and everywhere. For him, game design brings together many art forms from music to history, etc. You have the power to create entire universes and he wants to use that power to create stories. He is a Game Designer in every sense: he picks and chooses things that he hears, sees, experiences, and forms his understanding, which is the same way he creates his games. In a way, his life is a game that he is constantly updating, and the games he creates are his legacy because no one can make his dreams but him.

Nosedive Studios | LinkedIn

Olivia Watson (class of 2025) is a writer, artist, and transmedia storyteller. She is currently a student at Miami University where she is studying art and narrative design as a Games and Simulation major. She wants to be a professional narrative designer and artist who is creating immersive worlds with meaningful, impactful storylines and characters. As a woman, a member of the LGBT community, and a social justice activist, she believes that she can offer important perspectives when it comes to inclusion and diversity that would make her a valuable member of any production team.

LinkedIn | The Rookies

Logan Young (class of 2024) has always wanted to create video games, and has been playing video games for as long as he can remember. He decided to become a game designer to create games that give people the sense of joy that he had whenever he played video games. Over the years he has learned to use many different tools to create games, interactive narratives, illustrations, short films, and animations, including Unity, Visual Studio, and Twine, multiple programming languages, plus Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Maya, AutoCad, CSS and HTML.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Sadie Zeedrich (class of 2025) is a game developer, artist, and writer from Ohio focused on making games that are fun to look at, interesting to play, and inclusive of historically underrepresented communities. She grew up with a passion for books, games, and fantasy in many forms, but as a queer girl, she knows what it’s like to never feel like she could truly see herself in the stories she loved. She wants to create immersive worlds that are accessible and enjoyable for anyone who explores them, whether they find it through her games, art, comics, or writing.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

Connor Zielinski (class of 2024) is a student at Miami University with a major in Games and Simulation and a minor in computer science. He likes to spend his free time both making and playing games. Through high school and part of college, Connor has learned what it means to be a game designer and writer. He pushes himself to write games in which the story isn’t bland or simple. He strives to make immersive story worlds that pull the player in and keep them wanting more. Connor believes that collaboration is a way to expand on this immersion as much as possible. Having people of different viewpoints helps to push the world to be something everyone can enjoy, not just enjoyed by people like him.

Portfolio | LinkedIn

To find out more about WNDRLab, please contact Professor Long at longga@miamioh.edu. To find out more about each student's individual projects, please reach out to them via the LinkedIn links in each student's bio. Thank you for your interest!