Rate My Professor Michael Abbott

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.