Hey there, friends!
I am Joanna, a creative technologist and multimedia designer with a background in game development. I am interested in making games and urban interventions that invite the public to explore societal questions through immersive play. As a passionate contributor to various anime/game fandoms, I also want to explores ways to nurture emergent audience creative participation.
I did a game design program for undergrad and went on to work as a game designer at major gaming companies making commercial multiplayer games. I then transitioned into an investment management role investing in indie game studios specializing in indie/VR/narrative. I also worked as a visual artist and game designer for freelance projects, including an interactive basketball experience on a 10m x 10m reactive LED floor board at the Nike flagship store in Shanghai. It was a free and accessible experience for diverse visitors, launched in September 2019.
During my personal time, I do game jams primarily as a designer and artist, mostly making experimental indie games that explore the subtle nuances and unconscious biases in people’s everyday social interactions. During covid as offline events and international travel were difficult, I founded "HYPERSCREEN” - an art and music project with two friends. Together, we organized multiple rave events and performances, exploring the possibilities of bridging virtual and physical experiences and weaving cohesive stories through transmedia. Our most recent event, “DIASPORA,” was a portal experience that happened simultaneously in a virtual nightclub within VRChat and a physical venue, immersing participants in a fictional dystopian mythological past. The project was showcased at the Cite International des Arts in Paris in 2021.
On the side, I also do VJ for underground clubs and have recently taken up djing (sorry).
I am currently based in Japan 
(hmu if you visit kyoto) really excited to meet everyone!