Benjamin Stokes Assistant Professor School of Communication

Degrees: PhD and MA in Communication, University of Southern California; BA in Physics, Haverford College
Bio: Benjamin Stokes is a civic media scholar, game designer, and director of The Playful City Lab. He is also an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication, and at the AU Game Lab. Previously, he co-founded Games for Change, the movement hub for advancing social change with games. At the MacArthur Foundation prior to academia, Benjamin was a program officer in their portfolio on Digital Media and Learning. Benjamin has also worked at the UC Berkeley School of Information as a postdoctoral scholar in data science. Design experience in civil society includes leading teams at NetAid/Mercy Corps in global citizenship education.

His new book is Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities (MIT Press, 2020).

Students considering our PhD Program or MA/MFA in Game Design and Interactivity are encouraged to be in touch. Recent collaborations with students include projects on neighborhood storytelling networks, place-based games, participatory design, and play that strengthens cities and communities.

See Also: @bgstokes; NEW BOOK: Locally Played; Playful City Lab; Professional Website for Prof. Benjamin Stokes
For the Media: To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.; AU Experts

Teaching