Heather Kelley

Heather Kelley

Heather Kelley in 2012
Pen name moboid
Occupation Game designer, writer, media artist
Nationality American
Citizenship United States
Spouse Johannes Grenzfurthner

Heather Kelley (aka moboid) is a media artist and video game designer. She is co-founder of the Kokoromi experimental game collective, with whom she produces and curates the annual Gamma game event promoting experimental games as creative expression in a social context. She is regular jury member for different computer gaming festivals (such as Indiecade) and keynote speaker (at events like FMX Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Interactive Media 2010 in Stuttgart).

Her career in the games industry has included AAA next-gen console games, interactive smart toys, handheld games and web communities for girls. She has created interactive projections using game engines such as Quake and Unreal.

Heather Kelley was Creative Director on the UNFPA Electronic Game to End Gender Violence, at the Emergent Media Center at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.[1] For seven years, Heather served as co-chair of the IGDA's Women in Game Development Special Interest Group.[2]

In May 2014 she joined the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University as an Assistant Teaching Professor.[3]

Project examples

Awards

Her biographical sex game concept with Erin Robinson, "Our First Times," won the 2009 GDC Game Design Challenge,[12] and her game concept "Lapis" based on female masturbation won the 2006 MIGS Game Design Challenge.
In Spring 2008, she was Kraus Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, and Adjunct Faculty at the Entertainment Technology Center, at Carnegie Mellon University, where she organized The Art of Play symposium and art game arcade.[13]
In September 2009, she was Artist in Residence for Subotron[14] at Quartier21, Museumsquartier Vienna.
She was part of Fast Company's 2011 list of 'most influential women in technology'. [15] In March 2013 she was awarded the "GDC 2013 Women in Gaming Award" as "Innovator", granted for breakthrough innovation in her work.[16]

Personal life

Heather Kelley grew up in Florida. She identifies as a feminist. She is married to artist and director Johannes Grenzfurthner.[17]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heather Kelley.