Rate My Professor Michael Abbott

Michael S. Abbott is Professor of Theater at Wabash College, where he also serves as Chair of the Music Department and has chaired the Theater Department since 2000. A Wabash College alumnus, he received his B.A. there in 1985 before earning an M.F.A. in Directing from Columbia University in 1989. Abbott brings over 37 years of experience teaching theater and film, with 32 of those years at Wabash. His courses cover a wide range including Introduction to Film, Directing, Dramaturgy, Introduction to Theater, Enduring Questions, Senior Theater Seminar, and seminars on the art and history of electronic games. He regularly organizes trips for students to attend professional productions in the surrounding area and abroad, enhancing their practical understanding of the performing arts.

Abbott's academic interests lie at the intersection of video games, film, and theater, with a particular emphasis on narrative games. Since 2007, he has written and hosted The Brainy Gamer blog and podcast, established as the highest-ranked single-author website devoted to video games. His scholarly contributions include papers presented at the Society for Film Studies Conference, Game Developers Conference, and Games, Learning and Society Conference. He delivered the keynote address at the Games and Ethics Symposium at DePauw University and has judged the Independent Games Festival in San Francisco and the IndieCade Festival in Los Angeles. As a professional stage director, Abbott develops new scripts and screenplays; he recently directed his 50th production at Wabash, including 12 Angry Men. Among his distinctions, he received the McLain-McTurnan-Arnold Excellence in Teaching Award and presented the 45th LaFollette Lecture in 2025, titled "The Last Mixtape." Abbott has contributed articles to Slate, Kill Screen, and Gamasutra, influencing discussions on gaming and media convergence. He is also affiliated with Wabash's Film and Digital Media program and directs courses on game design and human values.