NERDLab

Novel Experiences, Responsible Design Lab

NERDLab is a university-based game studio dedicated to creating meaningful, experimental, and socially conscious games. We treat games as public media outlet, driven not by profit but by purpose. Our games explore what games can be and aspire to offer fresh perspectives on issues often overlooked by the mainstream.

Our team is made up of students and faculty working side by side to push the boundaries of interactive media. We believe in games as tools for empathy, critique, and cultural change. We mentor emerging talent, letting students take the lead as designers, developers and storytellers. We release games as works-in-progress and finished pieces to invite conversation, curiosity and connection.

Some of our games are also research tools, designed in collaboration with academic studies to better understand how people play, learn and grow through interactive experiences. Each game is a collaboration, a classroom, and a contribution to the broader understanding of what games can do.