Professor Kishonna L. Gray
Black Game Studies: From Theorizing a Genre to Developing a Field
Abstract: In this presentation, Dr. Gray will engage the theories, concepts, and frameworks of Black Game Studies. Drawing from over two decades of scholarship around race and intersectional identity, this work focuses on tensions in designing Blackness to the transmediated and techno practices of the Black community in both digital and physical spaces.
Bio: Dr. Kishonna L. Gray is a Professor of Racial Justice and Technology at the University of Michigan, directing the Mellon-funded Intersectional Tech Lab. A Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman-Klein Center, Dr. Gray’s work explores race, gender, and technology, emphasizing the role of marginalized communities in digital spaces. She is the author of Intersectional Tech and Race, Gender, & Deviance in Xbox Live and is frequently featured in major media. Her accolades include the 2023 Black in Gaming Educator of the Year Award.