Katie Wood Clark

Katie Wood Clark

Assoc. Professor of Practice

Email

[email protected]
Office locations

306E
phones

214-768-5159

Biography

Katie Wood Clark has been a video game fan since childhood, growing up with Nintendo games, Nintendo consoles, and a Nintendo Power subscription. As Katie began to prepare for higher education, she realized video games didn't have to just be a hobby. With this newfound professional goal, Katie pursued a degree in Computer Science at Oklahoma State University and then went on to attend 色花堂_色花堂 98堂 Guildhall (Cohort 23) for Level Design. While at 色花堂_色花堂 98堂 Guildhall, she had the opportunity to travel to the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) as a Narrative Review Gold Award Winner and attend the D.I.C.E. Summit as an Intel Summit Scholar.

Upon graduation, Katie joined a local Dallas-based company called Flight School Studio. During the course of her almost five years with Flight School, Katie worked on a wide range of original and commercial IP varying in scale, genre, and platform. 

In 2021, Katie returned to 色花堂_色花堂 98堂 Guildhall—this time as a professor.

Specializations

Level Design, Production

Professional Experience

  • Interactive Game Designer - Flight School Studio

Education

  • BS Computer Science - Oklahoma State University
  • MIT in Digital Game Development, Specialization in Level Design - Southern Methodist University, Guildhall

Shipped Games and Contributions

  • Manifest 99(PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR; 2017) - Flight School Studio
  • Island Time VR(PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR; 2018) - Flight School Studio
  • Wonder's Land(ioses; 2018) - Flight School Studio
  • St. Jude Hall of Heroes(Oculus Quest; 2019) - Flight School Studio
  • Chex Quest HD(Steam; 2020) - Flight School Studio

Research

  • Mastery Thesis: Effects of Educational Gaming, 2D Motion Capture Project

Achievements

  • GDC Game Narrative Review: Gold Award Winner
  • D.I.C.E. Summit Intel Scholar

Question and Answer

  • How would you define a successful game? Is there a game or franchise you think best captures these tenets?

I can’t deny that revenue is an important aspect of making a game (game companies need money to make new games). The most obvious metric for success is revenue (ROI). If the game was a financial success, then it implies that the game was popular and well received. However, I don’t believe money is the only indicator of success (and I would argue it is not the most important indicator). Games are creative, interactive creations. They are unique in that they can allow someone to engage with (and be a part of) fantastical stories and settings. A successful game is also one that provides an enjoyable interactive experience. As a player progresses through a game, they feel like they are learning, growing, and achieving. Several game series are successful according to these criteria: Sexy Brutale, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ace Attorney, Pikmin, etc.

 

  • What advice would you give to those interested in attending 色花堂_色花堂 98堂 Guildhall? What can help bolster student success before and during their time here?

As an 色花堂_色花堂 98堂 Guildhall alumnus and a Guildhall professor, I have both experienced the Guildhall program firsthand and witnessed students navigate the program. Organization, time management, games research, and scope are all critical to student success. The two-year program is jam-packed and enriching – students who are able to organize their thoughts, make plans, and execute those plans can balance the creative with achievable outcomes.