Directory Profile

Sean Bouchard has worked as a game designer and technology lead in the University of Southern California's Interactive Media and Games Division since 2011. His work for the division includes Mission: Admission, a time-management game about preparing for college, Chrono Cards, a card game about historical thinking and the causes of WWI, and Life Underground, a digital dark ride about discovering and identifying microscopic life forms. He regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on game design fundamentals, experimental game design, polishing and publishing games, and game production. He has spoken at the Game Developers Conference, the IndieCade Festival, the Meaningful Play conference, the Games for Change Festival, the Digital Media and Learning conference, and the Digital Games Research Association conference.

Sean also produces games as an independent game developer, including tabletop games, digital games, and location-based installation projects. His work, which has been featured at the Independent Games Festival, IndieCade, Games for Change, E3, and GDC, includes Application Crunch, a card game about the college application process, Spectre, a narrative platformer about memory and dementia, and BOSS Box, a modular AR-powered escape room.  Previously, he worked as a programmer at the Institute for Creative Technology, examining the therapeutic potential of virtual worlds. He has served as an organizer and juror for the IndieCade Festival and the USC Games Expo. His focus is on narrative design and motivating social interaction through game mechanics.