KEYNOTE SPEECH II
Abstract
In my talk, I will discuss my Skyscraper Games Trilogy, a series of projects that span 10 years including: (1) Pong on the Cira Center in 2013, where I recreated a large-scale interactive installation on the Cira Centre, a 29-story skyscraper in Philadelphia, reprogramming its LED lights, to create an interactive game of Pong, (2) Skyscraper Tetris in 2014, where I recreated a multi-player Tetris on the Cira Centre as part of the 30th year anniversary Tetris, and (2) Skyscraper Games Kids in 2019, where I showcased new games designed and programed middle school students from Philadelphia on the Cira Centre as part of a STEAM outreach effort to get girls and other underrepresented students interested in computer science.
Dr. Frank Lee
Full Professor of Digital Media at Drexel University with appointments in Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering
Biography
Dr. Frank Lee received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology in 2000 from Carnegie Mellon University, and his AB with Highest Honors in Cognitive Science in 1994 from UC Berkeley. Lee co-founded Drexel’s Game Design Program in 2008, which since its founding has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Game Design Programs in the US. Lee is also the founding director of the Entrepreneurial Game Studio (EGS) at Drexel University in 2013, a unique university-wide initiative to teach students entrepreneurship helping them to start their own game companies. Students in EGS have won over 40 national and international awards and recognitions in the last 5 years making it one of the most awarded university game labs in the US. Lee’s own past projects have won national and international awards and recognitions and have received extensive media coverage. His installation project, Skyscraper Tetris in 2014, was mentions in over 1500 news stories worldwide and an estimated 2.2 Billion views with a publicity value of over $22M. It was also recognized as a Guinness World Record for the Largest Architectural Videogame Display. He was selected as one of the Smartest People in Philadelphia Philadelphia Magazine in 2012, Hacker of the Year Geekadelphia in 2013, and one of the 50 Most Admirable Gaming People Polygon in 2014.