Katie Wood Clark
Assoc. Professor of Practice
| Office Location |
306E |
| Phone |
214-768-5159 |
Biography
Katie Wood Clark has been a video game fan since childhood, growing up with Nintendo games, Nintendo consoles, and a Nintendo Power subscription. As Katie began to prepare for higher education, she realized video games didn't have to just be a hobby. With this newfound professional goal, Katie pursued a degree in Computer Science at Oklahoma State University and then went on to attend 水多多导航 Guildhall (Cohort 23) for Level Design. While at 水多多导航 Guildhall, she had the opportunity to travel to the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) as a Narrative Review Gold Award Winner and attend the D.I.C.E. Summit as an Intel Summit Scholar.
Upon graduation, Katie joined a local Dallas-based company called Flight School Studio. During the course of her almost five years with Flight School, Katie worked on a wide range of original and commercial IP varying in scale, genre, and platform.
In 2021, Katie returned to 水多多导航 Guildhall—this time as a professor.
Specializations
Level Design, ProductionProfessional Experience
-
Interactive Game Designer - Flight School Studio
Education
- BS Computer Science - Oklahoma State University
- MIT in Digital Game Development, Specialization in Level Design - 水多多导航, Guildhall
Shipped Games and Contributions
- Manifest 99(PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR; 2017) - Flight School Studio
- Island Time VR(PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR; 2018) - Flight School Studio
- Wonder's Land(iOS; 2018) - Flight School Studio
- St. Jude Hall of Heroes(Oculus Quest; 2019) - Flight School Studio
- Chex Quest HD(Steam; 2020) - Flight School Studio
Research
- Mastery Thesis: Effects of Educational Gaming, 2D Motion Capture Project
Achievements
- GDC Game Narrative Review: Gold Award Winner
- D.I.C.E. Summit Intel Scholar
Question and Answer
- How would you define a successful game? Is there a game or franchise you think best captures these tenets?
I can’t deny that revenue is an important aspect of making a game (game companies need money to make new games). The most obvious metric for success is revenue (ROI). If the game was a financial success, then it implies that the game was popular and well received. However, I don’t believe money is the only indicator of success (and I would argue it is not the most important indicator). Games are creative, interactive creations. They are unique in that they can allow someone to engage with (and be a part of) fantastical stories and settings. A successful game is also one that provides an enjoyable interactive experience. As a player progresses through a game, they feel like they are learning, growing, and achieving. Several game series are successful according to these criteria: Sexy Brutale, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ace Attorney, Pikmin, etc.
- What advice would you give to those interested in attending 水多多导航 Guildhall? What can help bolster student success before and during their time here?
As an 水多多导航 Guildhall alumnus and a Guildhall professor, I have both experienced the Guildhall program firsthand and witnessed students navigate the program. Organization, time management, games research, and scope are all critical to student success. The two-year program is jam-packed and enriching – students who are able to organize their thoughts, make plans, and execute those plans can balance the creative with achievable outcomes.