HARRISBURG, PA — Greg Loring-Albright, Ph.D., Program Lead for Game Design at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology (HU), has been named a Rising Star by the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). This international recognition celebrates emerging scholars whose work contributes to the richness, diversity, and cultural value of game studies.
Loring-Albright was one of two scholars selected worldwide in the program’s second-quarter 2026 round. He was recognized in the Early Career Researcher track.
DiGRA is the premier international association for academics, developers, and other professionals working in game studies and game research. Launched in 2025, the Rising Star Spotlight program highlights a small number of doctoral students and early-career researchers each quarter. Their work is featured in DiGRA’s newsletter and on its website, and each honoree is invited to present their research to the association’s global community. At the end of each year, one honoree is named Rising Star of the Year.
“Analog and digital games are extraordinary mechanisms for modeling human systems — political, religious, social — and letting players think through them from the inside,” said Loring-Albright. “It means a great deal to be recognized by DiGRA, and I’m excited to connect with fellow scholars and designers around the world who are pushing the boundaries of what games can do.”
A scholar and game designer, Loring-Albright teaches in both HU’s Game Design and Interactive Media programs. His research explores analog games as media, games and simulations, and fan studies, with particular attention to the political potentials and limitations of analog game forms. His published board game designs include Ahoy (Leder Games, 2022), Bloc by Bloc: Uprising (with T.L. Simons, Out of Order Games, 2022), and Keep the Faith (Central Michigan University Press), a game about religious beliefs and practices and how they evolve across generations.
Loring-Albright’s current projects include a book on designing games about political topics, a role-playing game (RPG) inspired by the spirit of Tolkien’s Hobbits, an open strategy game about a mayoral succession crisis, and his first digital game.
Loring-Albright earned his Ph.D. from Drexel University’s Communication, Culture, and Media program, where his dissertation examined digital adaptations of tabletop games, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies from Swarthmore College.
The full Q2 DiGRA announcement is available at DiGRA.org.
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ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology (HU) is an independent, nonprofit university offering degrees in advanced manufacturing, engineering, robotics, nursing, cybersecurity, and other critical fields. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, HU serves a diverse student body through bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs that link learning and research with practical applications. For information about HU’s affordable STEM degrees and professional development programs, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay in the know by following Harrisburg University on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
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