Jessie Leigh Gagnon (Hough)
Assistant Professor
Biography
Jessie is a passionate writer, producer, and anthropologist who lives for games, film, and interactive media. Her creative side has melted over and fused to her project management side, and she thrives on opportunities to solve problems, hit milestones, mentor others, and make a positive impact in the lives of people and projects. With over eleven years in the game industry, Jessie has worked on AAA titles like League of Legends and volunteers time for organizations like Women in Games. She has a track record of happy, healthy, interdisciplinary teams and successful projects that shipped with clarity of vision, data-informed decision making, and an empathetic, people-driven focus. A specialist in crunch prevention and conflict resolution, she dedicates much of her spare time these days to helping developers with traditionally marginalized identities learn to thrive in game development.
Distinctions & Awards
Lambda Alpha Anthropological Honors Society, Global Citizenship Certificate,
Publications & Abstracts
“Cosplay,” World Book Encyclopedia; 2014
“Escape from the Mainstream: The Japanese Cosplay Youth Subculture,” Franklin Pierce University; 2008, Temple University Japan; 2010
Professional & Scholastic Affiliations
American Anthropological Association
Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing
- The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, by Jesse Schell
- Agile Game Development, Clinton Keith
- The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking
Favorite Quote
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
—Margaret Mead