NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

Video games help to prepare girls for a competitive future:

An analysis of how video games help to build visual-spatial skills and the positive influence early childhood gaming can have on girls.

Researching how game design might help to reduce the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) professions, particularly engineering and computer science. More specifically, examining spatial relation skills in early childhood and the benefits of 3D gaming on female development.

Research focuses on the following topics:
        • STEM: investigate statistical data in STEM professions and k-12 curricula
        • Gender: study of gender differences in spatial relation skills
        • Gaming: promote the benefits of 3D gaming in early childhood
        • Game Design: how designers can re-imagine the future of game development

Presentations:
Presenter at the OATYC 2023 Conference, LCCC. Bridging the Digital Divide: Engaging Students Where They Are. A workshop in audience participation using Miro, a digital white board. | October 2023. Hughes, L.A.

Design Incubation Colloquium 6.2, CAA Annual Conference 2020, Chicago, IL. Double-blind, double peer reviewed, “Interactive Game Design: Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” | February 2020. Hughes, L.A.

Publications:
Hughes, Leigh A. Bridging the Digital Divide: Engaging Students Where They Are, abstract published in 2023 OATYC Proceedings, October 2023

Hughes, Leigh A. “Gender-Considerate Digital Game Design.” Chapter in: Women and Video Game Modding, Essays on Gender and the Digital Community ed. Bridget Whelan, McFarland, 2020

Hughes, Leigh A. “Game On! Playing Video Games May Bridge the Gender Gap in STEM.” UA Magazine, 13 June 2017

Hughes, Leigh A. “Video Games Help to Prepare Girls for a Competitive Future in STEM: An Analysis of How Video Games Help to Build Visual-Spatial Skills and the Positive Influence Early Childhood Gaming Can Have on Girls.” OhioLINK ETD: Hughes, Leigh A, Dec. 2016