Brian Schrank is chair of the Game Design program at DePaul University in Chicago who develops AR and VR games shown internationally. His MIT Press book "Avant-garde Videogames: Playing with Technoculture" places games within the context of art history and the avant-garde. His award-winning VR game "Dumpy: Going Elephants" lets anyone swing their elephant trunk around a zany cartoon world. His transmedia game A Moment Free from Darkness engenders player empathy for a girl sold into sex slavery. Situations presented through her subjective experience range from hopeful to horrific. It’s played on four platforms in sequence: Mobile, Desktop, VR, and Apple Watch. The first three acts increase in immersion and emotional intensity while the final act on the Apple Watch is the least immersive allowing the player to collect her thoughts and recenter herself. Schrank earned his Ph.D. in digital media and videogames from the Georgia Institute of Technology