Bob De Schutter
(he/him/his)
Associate Professor
Research interests
- Game design and development
- Independent video games
- Serious games
- Player motivation
- Aging
Education
- PhD in Social Science, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven — Belgium
- MA in Visual Arts, Karel De Grote University College — Belgium
Biography
Bob De Schutter is an associate professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, based in Boston.
De Schutter advocates the importance of lifelong play and speaks out against the stereotyping of older video game players in game design and marketing. His creative, research, and teaching interests include game design, the older audience of digital games, and the use of games for nonentertainment purposes.
De Schutter is the owner of the award-winning game company Lifelong Games LLC. His research on "gerontoludic design," gameful instruction, and "gaminiscing" has been published in leading publications of several fields, and he has been credited with the design of a wide range of independent, educational, and therapeutic games. His work has received several awards and recognitions.
Before joining Northeastern University, De Schutter was the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Applied Game Design at Miami University in Ohio, where he directed the Engaging Technology Lab. Before moving to the United States, he was a researcher and lead designer for the e-Media Lab of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven campus Group T, as well as the owner of web development company DSV. Outside of the classroom, you may catch him riding his electric unicycle on campus.
De Schutter has served as an independent consultant, public speaker, developer, and entrepreneur. He is a lifetime member of the International Game Developers Association and IndieCade, and has founded and chaired the Gerontoludic Society as well as the Flemish chapter of the Digital Games Research Association.
Recent publications
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For Whom the Games Toll: A Qualitative and Intergenerational Evaluation of What is Serious in Games for Older Adults
Citation: Najmeh Khalili-Mahani, Bob De Schutter, Mahsa Mirgholami, Eileen Mary Holowka, Rebecca Goodine, Scott DeJong, Roseleen McGaw, Sue Meyer, Kim Sawchuk. (2020). For Whom the Games Toll: A Qualitative and Intergenerational Evaluation of What is Serious in Games for Older Adults Comput. Games J., 9, 221-244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40869-020-00103-7 -
The Relationship Between the Seniors’ Appraisal of Cognitive-Training Games and Game-Related Stress Is Complex: A Mixed-Methods Study
Citation: Najmeh Khalili-Mahani, Bob De Schutter, Kim Sawchuk. (2020). The Relationship Between the Seniors' Appraisal of Cognitive-Training Games and Game-Related Stress Is Complex: A Mixed-Methods Study HCI (44), 586-607. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60149-2_45 -
Brukel vs Brukel: Impact of Game Fidelity on Player Experience In Gaminiscing Games
Citation: Szeyi Chan, James Cox, Ala Ebrahimi, Brandon Lyman, Bob De Schutter. (2023). Brukel vs Brukel: Impact of Game Fidelity on Player Experience In Gaminiscing Games CoG, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/CoG57401.2023.10333250 -
Catch The Butterfly: A Gaminiscing Game about Immigration
Citation: Ala Ebrahimi, Brandon Lyman, James Earl Cox, Szeyi Chan, Bob De Schutter. (2023). Catch The Butterfly: A Gaminiscing Game about Immigration CoG, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1109/CoG57401.2023.10333172 -
Catch The Butterfly: Using Gaminiscing to Design a Serious Game about Immigrants
Citation: Ala Ebrahimi, Brandon Lyman, James Earl Cox, Szeyi Chan, Bob De Schutter. (2023). Catch The Butterfly: Using Gaminiscing to Design a Serious Game about Immigrants CoG, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1109/CoG57401.2023.10333237
