My name is Lexy Vecchio and I am a third year MFA student in the Digital Media and Design department at University of Connecticut focusing on Game Design and 3D Art for games. Before attending UConn I worked in theater and film in the greater New York Area as a Director, Assistant Director, Stage Manager and Designer. I graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2015 with a degree in Film and Creative Writing, and have worked professionally as an editor, videographer and photographer.

Serious strides have been made in the development of accessible hardware and conscientious game design, yet the stories of those with mental, emotional or physical disabilities remain untold. My work focuses on serious interactive media that goes beyond accessibility to explore narratives that are inclusive, rich and diverse in both storytelling and gameplay. Video games, often written off as a mindless hobby, can be participatory works of art, an experience that sticks with the players long after they grasp the controller.My work focuses equally on captivating narrative and embodied experience. My personal experiences with PTSD supplement extensive psychological research into traumatic response, symptoms, and treatments through both peer reviewed research and a critical review of existing media about trauma. Using my diverse artistic background which includes experience in theater, film, and writing, my work humanizes the unfathomable world of trauma, both physical and mental, through interactive & time based media. Starting out with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a subject both personal and misunderstood, my work validates these experiences of mental illness through the physicality of Virtual Reality. During the Academic year I work as an Instructor of Record in UConn’s DMD Department, teaching the foundations curriculum and Video Editing as a part of the film concentration staff. I also lead discussion sections for the DMD prerequisite Digital Culture classes and have performed research as a Graduate Assistant in the Krenicki Institute of Arts and Engineering. While historical games are not the niche I have settled on, games about serious topics, and, in particular, experiential learning are, and the Games at Greenhouse Studios such as Courtroom 600, are deep dives into serious games. I like projects that require research and a nuanced approach to the material, as it can inform the way the game is designed visually as well as the mechanics of it, something I am excited to contribute to here.

In my spare time I like writing Screenplays and novels, and reading books aloud with my friends online.