Search Results
Your search for "sessions" returned the below results for sessions and speakers.
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Title: Composer / Technical Music Designer
Company: Chase BetheaMatches Found in Speaker Bio:
Chase Bethea is a Professional Multi-Award Winning Video Game Composer/Technical Music Designer known in the industry as the Swiss Army knife of Video Game Composition. Chase has a diverse collection of compositions that can be described as a fusion of texture and complexity which allows the player to become immersed in the experience. His soundtrack for Cubic Climber earned a Noteworthy on Destructoid. In 2016, Chase was nominated for Artists of the Year – Independent Composer by VGMO in the entire industry for his I Can't Escape:Darkness score. In 2021, he won an award for the AGROUND soundtrack from the NYX Game Awards. In 2023, Chase Bethea won another NYX Award for the remarkable video game score, “On the Peril of Parrots“and garnered two Global Music awards, one for the same score and the other recognizing his excellence as a composer. Two of these pieces are featured in NYC Jam Sessions VGM Real Book Vol. II. In March 2024, Chase was honoured with one of the industry’s most prestigious awards: the “Excellence in Artistry” Award from the Black in Gaming Foundation. This recognition serves as a testament to his consistent dedication and remarkable contributions to video game music within the industry. Chase has also scored Aztec Ride, a highly addictive fun mobile game that shipped on Google Play in October 2020 and was nominated for a Pocket Gamer Mobile Award. Chase was selected to perform live at Indiecade 2019 and selections of his game compositions have also been performed live by the Virtual Video Game Orchestral at MAGWest 2022 and 2023. Chase has also been a guest speaker at many conferences such as 2022 Global Game Jam (Keynote Speaker), GDC (Game Developers Conference (4x), PAX, Audiokinetic, MAGWEST (3x), IGDA, GameSound Con (2x), Berklee College of Music (2x), Game Devs of Color (2x), ADC (Audio Developers Conference), A2IM, Indie Game Business and EPOS Gaming. -
Title: Research Assistant Professor
Company: Rochester Institute of TechnologyMatches Found in Speaker Bio:
Dr. Celeste Sangiorgio is a psychologist who has over 10 years of practice and research work. Her research area focuses on how digital media (particularly games) can be used to impact individuals' skills and beliefs about the world around them. Celeste has designed multiple games and other digital media designed to target and build healthy behaviors, including an avatar-assisted platform designed to treat co-occurring substance use and violent behavior (RITchCBT, in FDA clinical trials), a VR game to teach individuals how to intervene when someone overdoses on oxycodone (BrainFire VR; platformer upcoming), and a dating sim designed to teach individuals skills about healthy and unhealthy dating behaviors (Dating Slasher, ant. 2025). In addition to her research work, Celeste has worked for over 10 years in advocacy for individuals who have experienced crimes (e.g., human trafficking, connecting survivors to safe houses, advocating for diversion and treatment for court-involved patients) and presently runs a free virtual psychotherapy clinic for adults experiencing homelessness. Dr. Sangiorgio often works with gaming and mental health nonprofits, including presenting with Take This! on mental health panels for PAX East and as a juror for Games for Change. As a part of the Psychgeist series, Dr. Sangiorgio evaluates and edits psychoeducational literature reviews on advanced, multidisciplinary theories as presented for lay audiences within a series of internationally published books on pop culture as a gateway for learning (specifically: psychology within The Witcher, The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy games series). Her projects at Rochester Institute of Technology focus on identifying and developing digital mechanisms that facilitate and maintain changes in individuals' mental health (e.g., beliefs, behaviors, and emotions). Her doctoral research focused on assessing effectiveness of digital platforms that target aggressive behaviors. In addition to her work on the avatar-assisted virtual treatment platform (RITchCBT; 2023), Dr. Sangiorgio has completed a Virtual-Reality Game that trained bystanders in how to intervene in oxycodone overdose (BrainFire VR, 2022) and is presently working on a platformer adaptation of this game (BrainFire: 2D; est. 2024). She is also presently part of a team developing a queer dating simulation horror game designed to train users in skills related to selecting and cultivating healthy relationships (Dating/Slash; est. Fall 2025). Dr. Sangiorgio also engages in voice acting; she provides the vocals the therapist avatar for all sessions of the avatar-assisted platform. Celeste has been presenting at local, regional, and international conferences for the past 15 years. She has presented at outreach events on behalf of multiple national agencies, hospitals, and colleges (e.g., the National Eating Disorder Association, Mount Sinai Hospital, City University of New York) and has presented original research on identity, games, and skills acquisition in multiple international settings (e.g., the United States, Croatia, Romania, Dubai, Mumbai). Recently, Celeste has attended the Penny Arcade Expo, East, and presented on games and mental health, including Grief in Games, Romance in Games, and a multi-year lecture series on mental health representations in Final Fantasy 7 She was also invited to the 2022 American Psychological Association (APA) convention to chair and present a panel on her doctoral dissertation work on the effectiveness of using digital treatments to target violent behaviors. In addition to her research and practice, Celeste holds a Bachelors in the Arts from the City University of New York's Graduate Center in Western Religious Philosophy and Counseling Psychology and a Masters in Psychology from St. John's University.
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