About the Envision Game & Technology Virtual Academy

Dr. Martin is an educator, inventor, composer, entrepreneur, and mentor. He is the Founding Director of both the Mason Computer Game Design Program and the Virginia Serious Game Institute, a game and simulation focused start-up accelerator. Dr. Martin possesses education and research expertise in both the sciences and the arts, studying both Music Composition at the Peabody Conservatory, and Electrical and Audio Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. At Mason, Dr. Martin has taught courses from philosophy, theory, and criticism, to audio engineering, digital arts, and business entrepreneurship. He is also a visiting fellow at the Serious Game Institute at the University of Coventry in England, and Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed publication Journal of Computer Games and Communication (Macroworld Press). Doctor Martin sits on multiple for-profit and nonprofit boards in the Washington DC region, and holds several education technology-related patents. His areas of research include virtual inter-professional education and practice, game education pedagogical theories and structures, and next-gen K-12 distant education solutions and virtual pedagogical assessment.

Vera was the notable Founding Director who was instrumental in the creation of the Mason Game & Technology Academy (MGTA). She worked closely with Mason Game Design Program faculty to develop courses and curriculum for K-12 students, design teacher training programs for Middle and High School teachers, and facilitate partnerships with local schools, community programs, and industry professionals. MGTA was honored with a 2015 Business Partnership of the Year Award by the Prince William County School System for innovative school partnerships that provided student workshops and teacher training in Game Design and programming. In 2015, Vera was a finalist in the Small Business / Entrepreneur category for the 16th Annual Women in Technology (WIT) Leadership Awards. She brought to MGTA multiple established relationships in the mid-Atlantic region's technology, arts, philanthropic, and public and private education communities. Vera had over fifteen years of administrative and managerial experience developing major new organizations, building strategic and tactical partnerships, and managing multiple cutting-edge national and international projects. Her professional activities included several years designing and coordinating international training programs and policy briefings for the International Research & Exchanges Board, in conjunction with multiple U.S. government agencies including USAID, USIA, and the U.S. Department of State.

Sang Nam teaches technology-intensive courses in Computer Game Design at George Mason University. He holds an M.F.A. in Electronic Integrated Arts from NYSCC at Alfred University and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego. Nam's work metaphorically explores how technologies are used in various art disciplines and how people perceive these art products in various dynamics. Nam has explored new possibilities when art and technology merge, and his work has been exhibited worldwide, including the US, UK, Korea, and Hungary. As a teacher-scholar, Nam has actively pursued his research on the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning. He has been selected as 2010 National CASTL Teaching Scholar, 2010-2012 Elon CATL Teaching Scholar, and 2008 Wisconsin Teaching Fellow.

Eric Piccione is Assistant Professor of Game Design. He has 20 years of experience developing video games for companies such as Sega, Activision, and Electronic Arts. He has launched games for mobile, PC, and console platforms, and served as art director for three massively multiplayer online projects. Eric has taught 3D animation at George Mason University and the George Washington University, and conducted workshops in visual storytelling and comic book design at the Arlington Art Academy. His approach is to adapt traditional art and storytelling techniques to the digital medium in a hands-on game development setting. He holds a BA in English from Western Michigan University, where he focused on graphic design, creative writing, and journalism. Before video games, Eric was an illustrator for comic books and various print media.

Gregory Grimsby, Assistant Professor in Computer Game Design, has 14 years of experience in computer game development. He has extensive experience in 2D and 3D artwork and creating textures, models, animations, and interface elements for various computer games. Mr. Grimsby has worked as a lead 3D Artist for Kesmai Studios and Bioware, where he most recently held the position of Art Director for 6 years. Projects have included work on games such as Air Warrior II, Aliens Online, Multiplayer Battletech: 3025, Dark Age of Camelot, and Warhammer Online. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting and drawing from James Madison University.

James Casey, Associate Director at VSGI and Assistant Professor Computer Game Design at George Mason, has over 12 years of experience developing video games. He has extensive knowledge in the production and live management of games, working on titles from Mythic Entertainment, Bioware, EA, and EA Mobile. James worked in a number of roles including customer service, design, content lead, and producer. The majority of his tenure in the industry was in the producer role with production experience on live and in-development titles. His portfolio of work includes such PC titles as Dark Age of Camelot, Ultima Online, Imperator Online, Warhammer Online: Age of Chaos, Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, as well as the mobile titles Ultima Forever and Dungeon Keeper. In addition, James worked on a number of prototype projects and co-development titles for the studio and helped to lead the transition to mobile for the studio. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration as well as a creative writing minor.