Global News

In November 2023, Professor Patrick Jagoda, a renowned scholar in the field of game design and research, visited the University of Chicago's global centers in Hong Kong and Beijing as an extension of a previous commitment in China. There, he presented a series of public talks on game studies, hosted an academic workshop with local colleagues, and conducted several media interviews. Patrick’s study of the multifaceted role of games in contemporary global culture was received with enthusiasm by local audiences, and as a result of these engagements several exciting follow-up conversations are in progress.

The UChicago Global team played a pivotal role in extending the reach of Professor Jagoda’s work by expanding his itinerary from a single academic engagement in Shenzhen to a set of public appearances and media opportunities in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shenzhen, all supported by the University of Chicago’s Yuen Campus in Hong Kong and the Center in Beijing. Summarized below is a case study of how engagement with UChicago Global can both benefit faculty members’ individual research initiatives and raise the profile of the University of Chicago in key regions of the world.

How it started

Through a casual conversation, a member of the UChicago Global team learned that Patrick was scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a conference in Shenzhen in November on transmedia storytelling and games as tools for storytelling about climate change. Knowing that the gaming industry is of particular interest to public and academic audiences in East Asia, we inquired if he would be interested to expand the scope of his trip to visit Hong Kong and Beijing and participate in a series of public events and partnership-building engagements.

UChicago Global drafted a proposal for a speaker series which spanned both the Yuen Campus in Hong Kong and the Center in Beijing and included public events and academic workshops in both locations. Additionally, the proposal also included recommendations for external meetings with local institutional partners with complementary research strengths, as well as media engagement.

 

What Global did

Throughout the planning process, the UChicago Global team in Chicago and across the Global Centers worked closely with Patrick to develop a trip itinerary, support on-the-ground logistics, connect with potential partners, and provide media connects and preparations to showcase his research and the gaming programs at UChicago.

 

Provided logistical support

UChicago Global provided hands-on planning and real-time support for the complex logistics of an international trip with multiple engagements by:

• Coordinating and executing public talks and academic workshops at the Yuen Campus in Hong Kong and the Center in Beijing:
  • Nov 14: Public Talk | Using Games to Tackle Wicked Problems and Make Worlds (video available)
  • Nov 15: Workshop | Worldbuilding and Speculative Design through the Creation of Rule Sets
  • Nov 21: Public Talk | Games and Modern Society
• Coordinating travel arrangements and accommodations across two cities 
• Assisting with visa issues in real time
• Providing a dedicated translator for media interviews (see below), who also helped to bridge cultural and contextual gaps during conversations
  
   

Made connections

UChicago Global builds and maintains institutional partnerships with global partners around the world and is able to tap into that network to recommend potential research partners We surfaced connections for Patrick during this trip by:

• Coordinating external meetings with Tsinghua University’s Future Laboratory and Lab for Lifelong Learning to discuss potential connections with UChicago's Weston Game Lab, Media Arts, Data, and Design Center, and the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab 
• Arranging a site visit to major local landmarks and the Beijing arts district to build a deeper understanding of the local arts and cultural context and inform a current project
  
   

Amplified the message

UChicago Global works closely with the Office of Communications to raise the University of Chicago’s profile worldwide. In Asia, the university has engaged a dedicated public relations firm, Sandpiper, to coordinate external media and communications activities across the region. This allows the university to surface high-impact, productive media opportunities for faculty and provide them with comprehensive support throughout their interactions with media in unfamiliar cultural and linguistic contexts. For Patrick’s visit, we worked with Sandpiper to provide personalized support in the following ways:

• Developing media pitches to national and local outlets (general and industry-specific)
• Coordinating a convenient, back-to-back media session for interviews
• Coordinating with interested outlets to secure talking points in advance
• Developing an in-depth “briefing book” to guide and prepare for media engagements, which included cultural context around relevant topics as well as general “dos and don’ts” for interacting with Chinese media
• Outcome: 3 interviews led to 4 original media articles in general and industry-specific outlets, one of which was also syndicated in smaller outlets
  • Nov 24 Jiemian - When Gamification Becomes 'Marketing Nonsense', What Can We Still Create with Games? 
  • Nov 24 The Beijing News - When real-life interaction meets 'love sci-fi' and sets off a chain reaction, can the legend of 'love is all around' be replicated?
  • Dec 10 Jiemian - Can games change the world? Players can also help fight climate change
  • Jan 13 Huxiu - Video games engage in protecting the earth, aiming to move beyond skepticism
    
     

What happens next?

Coming out of the visit, Patrick had several discussions about potential next steps with local partners for research and educational projects related to his work. Based on the enthusiasm demonstrated for his visit, another potential outcome under discussion is the translation of one of his books into Mandarin for a Chinese audience.

Patrick remarked, “Until this [trip], I've never had a post-Q&A line of questions that exceeded one hour during a reception! It was lovely to see how engaged the participating researchers and students were. Following the talk and workshop in Hong Kong, and the conference in Shenzhen, our events in Beijing left me excited about continued work in and with China.”