Heather Cole, an Erie, Pennsylvania, native who serves as a teaching associate professor of game design and interactive media in the College of Creative Arts and Media, has been selected for the October Faculty Feature.
In her role, she is responsible for developing and teaching game design courses, as well as contributing to the overall growth of the program. Ultimately, she works to ensure students are ready to make their mark in the fast-evolving game development industry.
VIDEO: See more about game design and interactive media at WVU.
After enduring one too many brutally cold winters in Erie, Cole decided she needed to make a change — a change that led her to Morgantown. She was initially intrigued by the game design and interactive media program’s unique focus on interactive storytelling, but the University’s vibrant community was the deciding factor.
“When conversations leave you more energized than exhausted, you know you’ve found something special, and that instant connection with faculty and students is what sold me on WVU,” she said.
As an instructor, she provides students with hands-on, real-world experiences while leveraging her own innovative skills to enhance cultural and educational programs across the state. One notable project is the WV Quest app, which offers users a fun, interactive way to explore the West Virginia State Museum collection.
She noted that one of her favorite student-made games is Light Rush, an Appalachian-themed multiplayer game featuring Morgantown, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Coopers Rock State Forest and more.
Recognizing that students did not have access to hands-on experience in the gaming industry, she embraced her motto, “if it doesn’t exist, build it,” a mantra that fueled her proudest achievement — the creation of MonRiverGames — a nonprofit indie game studio that brings together students and community members to pitch, create and publish games based on topics important them.
“MonRiverGames is where my love for making stuff meets my passion for fun and helping others,” she said. “Play is essential to the human experience, and here, students are taught how to create moments of play, shape stories, solve problems and build community in the process.”
Cole transitioned into game design later in her professional career after an instructor at Penn State Behrend in Erie sought her help in making game mechanics look less like “hot garbage.”
At the time, she was teaching photography and digital art; however, this collaboration not only helped her find her true calling, it also led to a major career shift when her colleague left, and she was tapped to lead the game development program.
In her spare time, she enjoys singing and playing guitar, though she confesses, “not well,” jokingly adding, “Don’t request ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ just yet.”
Nominate a University faculty member for a future Faculty Feature by sending an email to enews@mail.wvu.edu.