HARRISBURG, PA — Harrisburg University of Science and Technology’s (HU) Dr. Kelly Boudreau, Game Design Program Lead & Associate Professor of Game Studies and Design, recently attended the 2025 DiGRA Conference (Digital International Games Research Association), held at the University of Malta from July 1–4.
Dr. Boudreau presented peer-reviewed research conducted alongside her co-authors, Dr. Mia Consalvo and Dr. Andy Phelps. The title of their presentation was, “Making Cozy Games: How Game Developers Build (And Talk About) Cozy Games.” The authors write:
Cozy games are popular, yet difficult to pin down. Originally formalized during Project Horseshoe, a think-tank-style conference in 2017 which produced a white paper on cozy games (Short, et al, 2018), the genre has also garnered growing attention from game studies academics interested in better understanding the rapidly growing interest in cozy game design and played experiences (Bodi, 2024; Boudreau, Consalvo & Phelps, 2025). Yet, cozy games do not exist in a vacuum. What constitutes “cozy” cannot be solely defined by game developers – game players, game journalists, and reviewers have also been active in meaning making. For example, game journalists have pointed to aesthetics as a core component of cozy games, with calm visuals and tranquil vistas. Likewise, cozy gamer TikTok content creators broaden the definition of “cozy” through their inclusion of physical gaming spaces, their clothing choices, and other elements (Boudreau, Consalvo & Phelps, 2025). Yet, how does the wider community of game developers define cozy games? Is there agreement with the conclusions of the 2017 white paper, or are developers broadening the genre, augmenting it with their own ideas of what cozy games should be? To answer those questions, this paper investigates how game developers have incorporated Project Horseshoe’s original cozy game elements, and also what – if any – augmentations they have brought into cozy game production.
Additionally, Dr. Boudreau has accepted a two-year Affiliate Associate Professor position in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. Affiliate faculty positions provide a means for Concordia University to recognize accomplished and qualified individuals who are able to make significant contributions to the research endeavors of the University by virtue of their professional expertise and scholarship. Affiliate faculty may carry out collaborative research with full-time faculty at Concordia, co-supervise graduate students, and apply for and hold research funding from external research agencies.
Dr. Boudreau noted: “As a non-teaching role, this position will allow me to collaborate formally with several colleagues, work with post-graduate students, and access academic resources that will complement my work and teaching at Harrisburg University.”
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