Pronouns
he/they
RPI Email
johnsj28@rpi.edu
Hometown, State, and/or Country
Wenatchee, WA, USA
Undergraduate and/or Additional Advanced Degrees
Undergraduate Institution
University of Washington
Undergraduate Major
Community Psychology
List additional degrees
Russell Sage College - MA in Community Psychology
RPI Degree Program Information
Current Degree Program
Critical Game Design, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor
Nicholas Mizer
Biography and Research
Area of Research/Interest:
My research examines community formation, participation, and power in and around games, especially in contexts where games operate as social drivers such as civics-focused games or community and simulation games. I approach games as socio-technical systems shaped by design practices, labor, governance, and user engagement that have the power to enact community change and development.
Biography
Jordan had an unorthodox path in life to academia. He started as a running start student at his local community college when he was 16, before dropping out after one year to become a full time preacher. However, he returned at the age of 26 to finish his degree. Initially he wanted to become a therapist who specializes in helping people who leave high control groups. After undergrad, he went on to a master’s program to become a licensed mental health counselor. However, it was during this time that he realized his passion lies more in macro-level systems rather than individual counseling. After taking two years post graduation to work in community health and workforce development, he researched how to pivot from psychology into games, and found RPI's Critical Games Design program after doing a web search for "psychology of games PhD."
In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, playing and making games, reading, and going to the gym.