The stu/dio represents a student-driven effort to manage game development projects in support of education and research on the University of Illinois campus.
Being student-driven means that we take our role very seriously. We give students the opportunity to find interesting projects that they want to support. In addition, professors can find students to either contribute to their projects or sponsor a studio-driven project to support their research and curriculum. We hope students will gain some understanding in how the game industry development process works through the resources that we provide.
Director
I have been making games professionally for 35 years with a focus on design and production. I transitioned to teaching Video Game Design and Production classes in 2018 as the Game Studies Coordinator in the Informatics department. In addition, I co-taught a VR/AR class in CS and have spent a lot of time studying VR game design. Prior to teaching, I was with Volition, a Champaign Illinois video game studio, for 15 years. Volition is known for creating high end console and PC games such as the Saints Row series. I joined Volition as the Vice President of Production and then was General Manager for 6 years before leaving in 2017. With my management experience in game studios I feel uniquely suited to start up the stu/dio as the director. We are looking forward to providing game development services in support of education and research university wide.
Producer
I am an Informatics PhD student specializing in Design, Tech, and Society. My work spans disciplines, as I design and develop 3D and VR games in academic areas such as Digital Humanities, archaeology, movement studies, and diversity in STEM. I have held positions as a TA for both Game Studies and Film Production courses and currently reside as the Academic Advisor at UIUC's VR Club. To have fun and to grow, I run ultramarathons and triathlons, travel, play in a band, create short films, and play video games.
Associate Producer & XR Lead
I am an architect and landscape architect with a background in computer science, combining an interdisciplinary approach with a strong interest in game studies and digital heritage. Currently, I'm pursuing a PhD in Informatics, specializing in Data Analytics and Information Visualization. My research on employing data science techniques to analyze and visualize large game-related databases to enhance the game development process and track player experience within educational games. Outside of academia, I am the Co-founder of OyuNest Inc., a venture specializing in virtual landscapes and game design.
Associate Producer & Accessibility Lead
I am a PhD student in Informatics researching accessibility, sound and music, and games. My focus is on using multimodality (such as visuals, sound, and haptics) to convey information more effectively. I have developed multiple games as part of my research in addition to physical computing technologies like apps and hardware devices. Games can be incredibly fun and empowering, so I am eager to make games more inclusive to diverse players, allowing them to share this enjoyment. Here at the stu/dio, I help us meet this goal by incorporating accessible and inclusive design throughout our games' development and playtesting processes. Outside of my work and playing video games, I am an avid musician who loves to perform and arrange music.
Associate Producer & Design Lead
I am Rodrigo Hidalgo, a third-year PhD student in the Curriculum and Instruction program, focusing on game-based learning and computer-supported collaborative learning. I bring 13 years of experience in the gaming industry, during which I have published games for major game consoles and worked with several high-level publishers. My research is centered around using innovative educational technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), to create engaging and collaborative learning experiences. I am passionate about bridging the gap between game development and education to foster meaningful, immersive learning environments.
Associate Producer & Quality Assurance Lead
I am a PhD student in Informatics at U of I with an academic background spanning architecture, landscape architecture, and historic preservation. My research sits at the intersection of game studies, digital heritage, and educational theory. With extensive experience developing educational games across diverse domains, I am currently exploring how cooperative play and collaborative learning can be extended into public and urban contexts—imagining playable cities and participatory urbanism that engage communities, promote inclusion, and deepen our sense of place through shared, game-based experiences. As an AP and QA Lead at the stu/dio, I guide the development of quality assurance processes and production standards across projects, ensuring consistency, usability, and alignment between creative direction, technical execution, and educational outcomes.
Programming Lead
I’m a junior majoring in Computer Science with a passion for blending creativity and intuitive gameplay programming and UI. I bring 4 years of game dev experience across gameplay programming, UI implementation, and WebGL project development. I’m excited to lead programming initiatives that push modular coding with responsive gameplay and interface implementations. When I’m not programming, you’ll find me rock climbing at the ARC or home playing cozy games!
Art Lead
I am a cross-disciplinary artist and PhD student at the Institute of Communications Research, currently serving as the Art Lead at the Stu/dio. My work explores the intersections of art, media, and game design as systems that shape perception, subjectivity, and cultural meaning. I’m particularly interested in how visual storytelling, spatial aesthetics, and interactive media can be used to question systems of power, translation, and identity. During my free time, I look through gardens and vehicles as medium to better understand language and culture.
Art Lead
TBA!
Project Management Lead
TBA!
Website Development