Game Design and Development
The Game Design and Development Program at Michigan State University was founded in 2005, and has grown by leaps and bounds into a Top 10 Ranked program by the Princeton Review. The program offers a mix of disciplines and backgrounds, with faculty and students comprised of designers, artists and programmers. The GEL Lab, or Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab, offers students state-of-the-art technology to design prototypes and techniques, and to advance research on the social and individual effects of digital games.
Featured Articles
Media and Information graduate student wins silver medal for accessibility-themed game
Jesse Sanderson, a student in the Media and Information M.A. program, has earned a silver medal at the 2025 Serious Play Conference for The Braille Bistro, a tabletop game designed to build empathy and awareness for accessibility among sighted players.
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Featured Faculty and Staff
Faculty
Brian Winn
Professor, Director of the Games for Entertainment and Learning LabDepartment
Media & InformationBrian M. Winn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Information and Director of the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab at Michigan State University. Winn designs, creates, and researches interactive media design, including game design, digital game-based learning and interactive health communication.
Faculty
Carrie Heeter
Professor EmeritusDepartment
Media & InformationI came to MSU as a freshman in 1974. My academic degrees include a Ph.D. in Mass Media (1986) and a BA in Communication (1982), both from Michigan State University.
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Faculty
Andrew Dennis
Professor of PracticeDepartment
Media & InformationAndrew is an artist, designer and co-founder at Adventure Club Games, a contract and grant development studio in East Lansing Michigan.
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Faculty
Ricardo Guimaraes
Academic Specialist - Professor of PracticeDepartment
Media & InformationRicardo Guimaraes is a concept artist and illustrator with extended work experience for the entertainment industry. He joins our faculty from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Faculty
Casey O'Donnell
Associate ProfessorDepartment
Media & InformationCasey O’Donnell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University. His research examines the creative collaborative work of videogame design and development.
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Faculty
Wei Peng
ProfessorDepartment
Media & InformationWei Peng is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University. She is affiliated with the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) lab and the Health and Risk Communication Center.
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Faculty
Rabindra Ratan
Professor and AT&T Endowed ChairDepartment
Media & InformationDr. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan runs MSU's Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab: www.spartie.org. His research examines research on how media technologies (e.g., avatars, agents/AI, VR, online games) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., equity, well-being, motivation) across societal contexts (e.g., education, health, industry).