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Writing by Gia Miller

Photography by Justin Negard

In 2005, a group of teenagers strolled around Lexington, MA, staring at PalmPilot devices equipped with a plug-in GPS. The teens were asked to become either a female loyalist, an enslaved Minuteman, a British soldier or a free Minuteman—all real people who were part of the Battle of Lexington during the American Revolution. As they walked, various historic people, buildings and objects from that specific battle appeared on their screens. In character, they interviewed people, located historic items or documents and learned what really happened. These students were participating in a new game called Reliving the Revolution, and they were playing it eleven years before Pokémons first popped up on people’s phones.

“They played for about an hour,” says South Salem resident Karen “Kat” Schrier, a professor at Marist College and the founding director of its Games & Emerging Media program. “At the end, they debated who fired the first shot at the Battle of Lexington based on the evidence they had collected. But because they each played the game from a different role, they received different evidence. For example, a Minuteman might not give as open of an answer to a female loyalist  versus another Minuteman. So, they also learned how bias affects evidence.”

Schrier developed the game as part of her graduate thesis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It was one of the very first augmented reality, location-based historical games.

“I created it because I found history really boring,” Schrier says. “It was a bunch of facts and figures, and I wanted to hear people’s stories. How did they feel? What was it like to see your spouse die during the battle? I wanted to find a way to share those stories, and I thought a game would be the best way because that’s what engaged me as a child. After I made the game, I realized the power of making games for education, and I got very excited about it.”

Press start

Schrier was first introduced to video games when she was around six years old.

“I was really, really lucky,” she says. “My uncle gave us his Atari 2600, and my first games were Space Invaders, Asteroids and Pitfall! It was amazing; it was life-changing.”


Pitfall! became Schrier’s favorite game, and she played it nonstop, but she truly fell in love several years later when she began playing one of the earlier games in the Final Fantasy series.

“I loved that game so much,” Schrier remembers. “It had these engaging stories and characters that I felt connected to. I used to make drawings and little mini stories from that game; it was almost like fan fiction.”

About three years later, Street Fighter II was released, which included the option to use one of the gaming controls to listen to the music from each level. Before it was “a thing,” Schrier recorded the gaming music so she could listen to it whenever she wanted.

But video games weren’t her sole focus as a child. Schrier says she enjoyed “all media”—television, reading, writing, art and movies. And although Schrier and her girlfriends played video games together through middle school, it never occurred to her that it could be a career.

Schrier earned a psychology degree from Amherst College, and a few years later, she attended MIT for graduate school, earning a master’s degree in comparative media studies from their School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She began creating educational games during her final year after realizing that, as a child, video games were how she learned best.

“When I was 11 or 12, I played Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? so much that I ended up winning my school’s geography bee,” she explains. “I wouldn’t just play the game; I would read the almanac that came with it, which taught me all these geography facts.”

As a young adult, Schrier “still loved all media,” but after creating Reliving the Revolution, she decided to focus on making educational video games. Schrier moved to New York and became the content director for BrainPOP, where she spearheaded the creation of a new online division for college students. After that, Schrier moved to Nickelodeon as the lead online producer and then to Scholastic as a senior executive producer. While working full-time at Nickelodeon and Scholastic, Schrier attended Columbia University part time to earn a doctorate in education.

A new challenger approaches

By the time Schrier began her doctorate program at Columbia, she had a plan.

“I wanted to focus on ethics and games—the ethical side, the morality of games,” she explains. “I wanted to start a games program at a university, and I knew the only way I could do that was by getting a doctorate. I was very, very focused, and I hit the ground running as soon as I got there.”

When Schrier attended Amherst, there were no collegiate-level gaming courses, and by the time she got to Columbia, there were courses, but there was no gaming major. And there was no one focused on ethics and gaming. She would be the first.

“I was on the cutting edge,” she says. “There were maybe a handful of people working in the field of games and education, and I knew all of them. But I wanted to create something different. I wanted to create the community. I didn’t just want to design the games; I wanted to develop a community around it and advocate for it because most people didn’t really know what ethics and games meant. They assumed it meant the negative aspects of gaming, like addiction, harassment, monetization and whatnot. But I wanted to focus on the positive things. I wanted to study and teach how we can use games to support learning, social connections and a better understanding of ourselves.”

Schrier’s family was supportive of her path, and so was the industry—to an extent. 

“People in the games industry thought it sounded like a great niche, but there’s no money in it, so it wasn’t of interest to most people,” Schrier explains. “Most of them wanted to make money, but I was there for the heart and the social impact.”

Schrier wrote her dissertation on the emotion, empathy and ethical thinking in Fable III, a popular game at the time. But because the IRB (Institutional Review Board) didn’t approve her topic until February, she had only one month to research and write her entire dissertation if she wanted to graduate in May, so she did just that. (“It’s an urban legend about me that’s absolutely true.”)

Fast forward to today. Schrier has begun a collegiate-level gaming program and she’s researching ethics and gaming. She joined Marist shortly after graduation, starting as an assistant professor; she began to teach and publish, develop her program, build a name for herself and create a new niche. And although she began developing her gaming program as soon as she arrived at Marist, it took Schrier about five years to go through the approximately 20 levels of approval and accreditation required. In 2016, her program was official.  

Schrier is also the author or editor of over 100 published works; she has written two books, “Knowledge Games” in 2016 and “We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics & Civics” in 2021, as well as edited or co-edited six books—the most recent was published in January 2024. Schrier has also designed, published and advised on several dozen video games and apps, is the founder and CEO of PlatyPlay, LLC, which “specializes in designing games for learning, inclusion and care,” and is a co-founder of Dream Interactive Design, which “creates traditional e-learning, interactive narratives, educational games, animations and more.”

Look, Mr. Bubbles! We found a friend!

While every item on Schrier’s long list of accomplishments is related to modern technology, she says that’s only one piece of what she does. 

“I find it interesting that I’m in the technology issue because I don’t think of myself as just a technologist,” Schrier explains. “I really think of myself as a people person. Because to design games, you really have to understand people; you have to understand what engages them, what entertains them, what excites them and what inspires them. I’m constantly watching to see how people respond to my work, and then I change it, depending on how they respond. So, it’s really about listening and interacting with humans. And so yes, it happens to be that I make some digital games, but I also make some non-digital games. For me, it’s really about connecting with humanity.”

For Schrier, connecting with humanity also encompasses working with people who seek her out from around the globe. Almost daily, Schrier receives requests for help, such as  to serve as an advisor or consultant on a project, review or co-author research, join a student’s dissertation committee or assist with their dissertation paper, help students find a job or determine the kind of work they should do, work with an organization to create a game, and more. One such request, in 2019 from Professor Eugene Ohu at the Lagos Business School in Nigeria, led to Schrier serving as an advisor for a game which they hope will teach empathy to Nigerian youth. 

“A lot of my work has been on the positive, pro-social aspects of gaming, everything from connecting with friends or playing together to learning or mentoring other people,” Schrier explains. “There are so many ways players are practicing ethical decision-making in these games and trying to figure out who they are and their morality. But there’s this open question: How can games enhance empathy and compassion as well as reduce biases around different social and ethnic groups?”

“In Nigeria, there are over 250 different ethnic groups, and there’s a lot of tension among them,” she continues. “So, we’re testing a theory. If a child from the Hausa tribe is playing the game as if they are from the Yoruba tribe and they experience discrimination as a Yoruba, would that help the Hausa child gain empathy for people in the Yoruba tribe? Or would they be more empathetic if they observed the discrimination while playing the game? We don’t know the answer yet.” 

Ohu and his team recently began piloting the game, currently called Connected Spaces, in Nigerian schools.

Working on that game led to another one of Schrier’s current roles: game designer for the World Health Organization (WHO). Schrier and the WHO connected after the organization had worked on their concept for a year and realized they needed help. This past May, their game My 5 Moments, which focuses on teaching proper hand hygiene to medical professionals, was released; it’s already being played in 115 countries.

“It took us two years to do that game, and most of it was creating, writing and rewriting storyboards,” she explains. “I developed the various scenarios, made the characters come to life, wrote everything that wasn’t scientific, served as the game producer and worked with the artist. And one of the best parts is that because I’m working with the WHO, I get to connect with people all around the world. One day, I’m connecting with people from India, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa, and the next day, it’s with people in Switzerland, France, Portugal and the Philippines. It’s amazing to connect with people all around the world, and I love that.”

 

Sorry but your princess is in another castle

To many (including us), Schrier’s resume is impressive, but being a pioneer hasn’t been easy, especially.

“When I played video games as a kid, I felt like I belonged,” says Schrier. “I really didn’t think about it too much; I just played. But as I started getting deeper into it in my 20s and I began studying video games and became a game designer, it became clear that I didn’t belong. Now, I’m the director of a games program, and I am still a game designer, but I still do not belong.”

Schrier explains that the gaming industry is perceived, even among insiders, as being predominantly male, save for the occasional young, spunky pink-haired female, but that’s not actually the case. And yet, the stereotype persists. If Schrier attends a meeting with a male colleague, others automatically assume he’s the director of the program and she’s either his secretary or a student. At conferences, during interviews or almost any place, it’s more of the same. And even after Schrier introduces herself, they’re still skeptical—is she really a gamer?

“I still get asked by most of the people I meet if I actually play games,” she says, a bit flabbergasted. “It’s ridiculous because, at the very least, I must play my own games thousands of times to look for all the problems and make changes. But still, they almost always ask me. They just have to test me.”

Schrier feels forced to play along, and after listing some of her favorite games, like FOLLOW, BioShock, Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption, nonbelievers inevitably respond, “All right, you’re legit.” 

Equally frustrating is the fact that Schrier, who enjoys all types of games, knows that if she says she only plays games like Candy Crush or Wordle, she won’t be taken seriously.

“I definitely feel like I’m constantly having to go over Super Mario obstacles,” she sighs. “They’re throwing stuff at me, and I’m constantly jumping, jumping, jumping just to prove myself.”

When Schrier was younger, others regularly assumed she was someone’s girlfriend or worked in marketing, but now that she’s older—she’s married and has three children—they don’t even seem to notice she’s there.

“They just don’t see me,” she says. “It’s like I’m completely invisible.”

But with age also comes wisdom, and Schrier has learned to use this “invisibility” to her advantage in meetings. By keeping a low profile, Schrier ascertains what each person knows (or doesn’t know) and, when the moment is right, she slips in with the correct answers or solutions, surprising everyone, which she admits is “kind of fun.”

Hero mode

Schrier isn’t always quiet, though. She’s become a strong advocate for gaming reform. This past May, Schrier spoke with several members of Congress about her current research. She and her students are evaluating the harassment and antisocial behavior towards people with certain usernames in the online gaming community. Specifically, they are looking at people with usernames that clearly identify them as Chinese, Jewish, Mexican, Muslim or other ethnicities that often face discrimination.

“Right now, there are no policies and no laws,” she says. “It’s like the Wild, Wild West when it comes to online games, and government officials have no idea what’s going on.”

Schrier and her team are also reviewing companies that have taken steps to improve their community, like Blizzard Entertainment, the maker of Overwatch 2.“We were surprised,” she says. “One hundred percent of my students who are working on the study thought the harassment would be worse in Overwatch 2. It’s still pretty bad, but they thought it would be even worse.”

Schrier then spoke to people at Blizzard Entertainment, hoping to learn how they’ve begun improving users’ behavior. She says they’ve created more policies and encouraged a more pro-social culture by having gamers endorse each other, which helps them make friends and be more supportive. She presented these findings to Congress members as well, hoping it would inspire ideas for bills and policies.  

“Because I have a cousin in Congress, I was able to speak directly with some of these lawmakers, and it was pretty amazing,” she explains. “They were really open to learning more, which was really great.”

Schrier describes herself as “a very passionate, focused and determined person.” So even on those days or weeks where the obstacles reach video game-level proportions, she sticks with it, determined to make a difference.

“I see the social impact of what I do,” Schrier says. “For example, with the My 5 Moments game, a nurse in Western Africa said she’s using it in her hospital to help combat their Lassa fever outbreak. She says the game is helping people protect against the virus and it’s reducing germs. My game is doing that, and when I hear how something I created is having an impact around the world, it keeps me going.”

And the other thing that keeps her going is her dream.

“I want to create games that help people truly understand each other and really feel what it’s like to live someone else’s life,” she says at the end of our interview. “And while we can never fully understand someone else, I want people to have that sense of compassion and care for each other. And, hopefully, I can help create that with my games.”

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This article was published in the September/October 2024 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.

Editor-in-Chief at Connect to Northern Westchester | Website | + posts

Gia Miller is an award-winning journalist and the editor-in-chief/co-publisher of Connect to Northern Westchester. She has a magazine journalism degree (yes, that's a real thing) from the University of Georgia and has written for countless national publications, ranging from SELF to The Washington Post. Gia desperately wishes schools still taught grammar. Also, she wants everyone to know they can delete the word "that" from about 90% of their sentences, and there's no such thing as "first annual." When she's not running her media empire, Gia enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, laughing at her crazy dog and listening to a good podcast. She thanks multiple alarms, fermented grapes and her amazing husband for helping her get through each day. Her love languages are food and humor.

Creative Director at Connect to Northern Westchester | + posts

Justin is an award-winning designer and photographer. He was the owner and creative director at Future Boy Design, producing work for clients such as National Parks Service, Vintage Cinemas, The Tarrytown Music Hall, and others. His work has appeared in Bloomberg TV, South by Southwest (SXSW), Edible Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Refinery 29, the Art Directors Club, AIGA and more.

Justin is a two-time winner of the International Design Awards, American Photography and Latin America Fotografia. Vice News has called Justin Negard as “one of the best artists working today.”

He is the author of two books, On Design, which discusses principles and the business of design, and Bogotà which is a photographic journey through the Colombian capital.

Additionally, Justin has served as Creative Director at CityMouse Inc., an NYC-based design firm which provides accessible design for people with disabilities, and has been awarded by the City of New York, MIT Media Lab and South By Southwest.

He lives in Katonah with his wonderfully patient wife, son and daughter.