Susie (Susannah) is a Game & Narrative Designer and Lecturer of Game Design & Digital Media, and heads up the Games Design & Production Major in the Bachelor of Creative Industries at UniSA. She holds a PhD from Curtin University for which she received a Chancellor's Commendation, and her research interests focus on the use of video games and digital media for learning and to promote social change.
Susie is interested in making games that explore the application of social work research to game and interactive design and has worked as a game and narrative designer on several award-winning and nominated games across PC, console and mobile. Susie is... Read more
About me
Susie (Susannah) is a Game & Narrative Designer and Lecturer of Game Design & Digital Media, and heads up the Games Design & Production Major in the Bachelor of Creative Industries at UniSA. She holds a PhD from Curtin University for which she received a Chancellor's Commendation, and her research interests focus on the use of video games and digital media for learning and to promote social change.
Susie is interested in making games that explore the application of social work research to game and interactive design and has worked as a game and narrative designer on several award-winning and nominated games across PC, console and mobile. Susie is committed to promoting diversity in the games industry and in 2021 she was appointed an International Women in Games Ambassador where she helps encourage women and non-binary folks to explore game development and the opportunities within it. In 2022, Susie was announced as the winner of the Women in Games Global Awards: Games or Esports Educator award.
Susie is a co-host on the fortnightly Adelaide games industry podcast Café Booleans. She regularly co-organises games industry events in Adelaide such as the Global Game Jam, and was on the organising committee for the first Australian Women Game Jam.
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 21/12/2021 |
5 of the best home-grown games to play this summer, https://theconversation.com/5-of-the-best-home-grown-games-to-play-this-summer-173147 |
| 13/12/2021 |
Half of Australia’s gamers are women, but we know very little about mothers who game, https://theconversation.com/half-of-australias-gamers-are-women-but-we-know-very-little-about-mothers-who-game-172498 |
| 14/07/2020 |
Mod.TV: Video Games for Education and Social Change with Susannah Emery , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-q_IDncHhQ |
| 02/07/2020 |
Live Booleans Podcast: Susannah Emery - games for social change, https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy83MzQ2NzMwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz/episode/Y2ZkYTY0ZjctMDBmYy00ODc4LWJiYWEtMTUxNThkYmEzOWJk?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiB5bvMzNPvAhULi4QIHQKwAc0QkfYCegQIARAF |
| 20/03/2020 |
New game used to educate on domestic violence , http://thewire.org.au/story/new-game-used-to-educate-on-domestic-violence/ |
| 20/03/2020 |
New game used to educate on domestic violence , http://thewire.org.au/story/new-game-used-to-educate-on-domestic-violence/ |
| 19/03/2020 |
Domestic violence prompts new mobile game, http://theleadsouthaustralia.com.au/industries/creative-industries/domestic-violence-prompts-new-mobile-game/ |
| 12/03/2020 |
Adelaide women develop mobile game tackling domestic violence, teaching family and friends how they can help, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-13/adelaide-women-changing-the-face-of-video-game-industry/12050526 |
About me
Doctor of Philosophy Curtin University
Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Years) Queensland University of Technology
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Curtin University
Bachelor of Media Arts University of South Australia
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Musical Automation in the Australian Games Industry: A Comparative Study of Adaptive Audio and Generative Music in Game Development, Australian Council for the Arts, 17/07/2023 - 12/07/2024
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
|
| 2022 |
Emery, S 2022, Hannah: a friend in need.
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
Emery, S 2022, Hannah: a friend in need.
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2023 |
Open access
|
Reports:
Emery, S. & Jarldorn, M. (2023). Critical Growth: How can Tabletop Role Playing Games promote social growth in their players? <https://mindsatplay.com.au/2023/05/14/howcan-tabletop-roleplaying-games-ttrpgs-promote-social-growth-in-their-players/>
Games:
Hannah: a friend in need (2021), Interactive Narrative Game for Android. Twitter (Role: Game & Narrative Designer, Producer)
Trains of Thought (2021), Visual Novel Game. Mod. Museum, Up Close Exhibit (October, 2021) (Solo Developer)
Henosis (2021), PC/Nintendo Switch Game. https://henosisgame.com/ (Odd Critter and Beer Labs) (Role: Narrative Designer)
Stronger Together / Nganana Tjungurringkula Nintirrintjakunana, (Unreleased), PC Game. YouTube Trailer (Role: Designer)
PhD Thesis:
Emery, S. (2022). Raising Awareness of Domestic Violence through the Application of Social Empathy to Game Design [PhD Thesis] <http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/87945>
Awards/Recognition:
Women in Games Global Awards, Winner, Games or Esports Educator Award, (2022)
South Australian Screen Awards, Winner (Henonsis) (Role: Narrative Designer), (2021)
Women in Games, International Ambassador, (2021-Ongoing)
Epic Games Unreal Engine Academic Partnership (UniSA), (2021-Ongoing)
International James Paul Gee Learning Games Award, Finalist (Hannah: a friend in need), (2021)
MCV Pacific, 30 Under 30 in the games industry, (2017, 2016, 2015)
MCV Pacific, Australian women in games, (2017)
Women in Innovation, Finalist - Winnovation Awards (2015)
Engagement:
Global Game Jam Adelaide, Organising Committee, (2022)
Cafe Booleans - Adelaide Games Industry Podcast, Co-Host, (2021-Ongoing)
Australian STEM Games Challenge, Invited Judge, (2021)
Women Game Jam (non-competitive game jam for women and NB people), Organising Committee, (2021)
Women in Games International Ambassador, (Ongoing)
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Ambassadorship, International Women in Games AmbassadorWomen in Games |
2022 |
Chancellor's Commendation for PhDCurtin University |
2022 |
Games or Esports Educator AwardWomen in Games Global Awards |
2022 |
Ambassadorship, International Women in Games AmbassadorWomen in Games |
2021 |
South Australian Screen Award - Best GameMercury CX |
2021 |
Ambassadorship, International Women in Games AmbassadorWomen in Games |
2020 |
Invited Panellist, The Present and future of Digital Games in SAInnovation and Collaboration Centre |
2020 |
The Game Changers, MCV Pacific Women in Games ListMCV Pacific |
2018 |
30 Under 30, MCV Pacific Games Industry ListMCV Pacific |
2017 |
The Game Changers, MCV Pacific Women in Games ListMCV Pacific |
2017 |
Teaching & student supervision
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| A Framework for Developing Educational Games in and with Australian Museums | Current |
| Designing videogames for an embodied experience: developing an independent Virtual Reality horror videogame using Unreal Engine 5 | Current |
| Identity and safety in eSports: The role of individual identity and workplace psychosocial factors in professional video gaming | Current |
