Zach Winegardner
Assistant Professor of Game Art & Design
- Game Art & Design
As an Assistant Professor in the Game Art & Design department, Zach brings experience in animation, interactive media, and XR development to CCAD. His wide variety of skill sets and curiosity finds him teaching courses such as 2D Game Production, Programming for Play, and Game Theory. He actively maintains practice as an interactive designer with LittleSeed Inc, who serves as a technology partner with non-profit organizations to create engaging gamified experiences for fields like education, health, and even archaeology.
Zach implements design education perspectives in game art and design processes to spark curiosity and playful culture in the classroom. His professional practice and research surrounds ideas of using digital media in tandem with critical making and play to examine things we are curious about to get a new, alternative look at them. He has contributed to released interactive projects including an implicit bias training app for medical providers, a VR mass casualty incident triage training for emergency responders, and interactive exhibits in the Exploration Place science center.
He completed his MFA at Ohio State in 2018, where his thesis focused on exploring historical paintings with digital tools and interactive artifacts to provoke active observation and new dialogue.
