Member of the Month: Cathlena Martin
The Member of the Month feature periodically highlights our amazing membership and the things they’re doing. February’s Member of the Month is Cathlena Martin, PhD. Cathlena is a professor of Game Studies and Design at the University of Montevallo, Alabama’s only public liberal arts university.
What kind of work do you do?
My university courses cover both analog and electronic games, including history of board and card games and survey of video games. I also teach one special topics class each semester analyzing games in unconventional ways. For example, last semester I taught a special topics class on reality tv game shows/gamedocs to look at game design from a different perspective. It was a blast, especially with The Devil’s Plan dropping on Netflix to help illustrate the timeliness of the topic. This semester I am teaching a video games and movies class to use adaptation to more fully understand the rhetoric of video games. Next semester I will be focusing on playing card games and might incorporate information from Ian Bogost’s 2024 NASAGA keynote speaker address.
Why are you a NASAGA member?
I attended my first NASAGA in 2014 and have felt at home here ever since – even while being killed (see favorite memory). I come from an English background and don’t have a problem listening to people read a presentation, but I get so much more out of our NASAGA panels that are interactive. The community shares my playful attitude, which makes the NASAGA conference an event I look forward to!
What’s your favorite NASAGA memory?
My favorite NASAGA memory was a murder mystery, and I can’t remember if it was played at the 2017 conference in Reno, NV or the 2018 conference in Rochester, NY. But it was a fantastic way to conclude the conference with a murder mystery dinner during the gala even though my character was the victim of a callous murder and I spent most of the dinner as a ghost.
NASAGA’s theme for the 2023 Conference was “Space at the Table.” What do you do in your professional practice to integrate diverse points of view?
I work hard to practice inclusion in game design. During my panel at the 2023 conference we played a game I co-designed with a former student on inclusion in the tabletop game industry. Additionally, in course assignments I integrate inclusive tasks that highlight minorities. For instance, in my history of video games class I have a “Mothers of the Industry” assignment where students can research women who helped shape the video game industry. Finally, I strive to create a classroom safe space for my students where all perspectives are welcome and discussed.
