Jose Zagal
Director, School of Interactive Games and Media
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Jose Zagal
Director, School of Interactive Games and Media
Bio
Dr. José P. Zagal has authored and edited numerous books and articles on topics including game ethics, game design, and role-playing games. His recent works include Seeing Red: Nintendo’s Virtual Boy (MIT Press, 2024), Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons (MIT Press, 2024), and The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies (Routledge, 2024). He was named a Distinguished Scholar by the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) for his contributions to games research. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech (2008), and an M.Sc. and B.S. in Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
In the News
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November 10, 2026
RIT game scholar: 'Grand Theft Auto 6' is going full Florida Man meme
José Zagal, director of RIT's School of Interactive Games and Media, expects the latest installment of Grand Theft Auto to draw heavily from the bizarre Florida headlines that have fueled the popular internet meme for years.
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September 24, 2026
Dice in Mind podcast: Dr. José Zagal on Games Research
José Zagal, director of the School of Interactive Games and Media, joined an episode of the Dice in Mind podcast where he discusses his path to academia, publishing a book about Dungeons & Dragons, and game scholarship advice.
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July 1, 2026
Dr. José P. Zagal named Director of the School of Interactive Games and Media
He most recently co-authored Seeing Red: Nintendo’s Virtual Boy (MIT Press 2024) and co-edited Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons (MIT Press 2024) and The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies (Routledge 2024).