Bio

lapuntRuth S. Contreras, PhD by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in multimedia studies and Technology Enhanced Learning.

She is professor in higher education and researcher at private university, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (Vic-UCC), based in Barcelona (Spain). She teaches Usability and UX, Game Design and Interactive Communication Design, is also tutor in postgraduate courses. She is visiting professor at Azuay University in Ecuador. Co-founder and coordinator of the Observatory of Communication, Video Games and Entertainment (OCVE), InCom-Autonomous University of Barcelona. She also teaches Game Usability and UX at ENTI-UB.

Her research focuses on how games can transforming the way we learn, and how they can be used to increase our creativity. She is working in national and international research projects.

She was professor at Centre of Art, Architecture and Design at University of Guadalajara (Mexico), and at The School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona – ETSEIB at Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain).

Ruth was the coordinator of Interactions Research Group at the UVic-UCC until february 2014 and was coordinator in the master degree Interactive Communication until september 2012.

She is member in Engineering Computing research group (GIE) at Polytechnic University of Catalonia, working on serious games and game based learning research, member in Instituto de la Comunicación at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Incom-UAB), also she is a collaborator of the research group Comunidades Virtuais, Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Brazil).

CEO, Game Designer and new technologies consultant in Digital Work Force. Some projects,  UniversalDoctor Speaker  multimedia applications, “Política, infraestuctura y territorio” interactive application for Catedra Victoriano Muñoz Oms-ENDESA, “Personatges en Joc” a collection of 8 on-line games, and other interactive projects. Digital Work Force has worked for clients as GlaxoSmithKline España, Pfizer, Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica, Generalitat de Catalunya, Shift Group, among others.

She has developed events and workshops, for example:

– 2nd Workshop on Gaming, Simulation and Play, CISTI 2016 – 11th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies. June 16, 2016.

– 1st Workshop on Gaming, Simulation and Play, CISTI 2015 – 10th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies.  June 15, 2015.

SGaMePlay 2014: Serious Games and Meaningful PlayCISTI 2014 – 9th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies. June 21, 2014.

Rethinking game concept event (Repensem el Joc), on 6-11 May 2014, Arts Santa Mònica with Incom-UAB.

Games and Meaningful Play workshop (dissenyant i estudiant experiències irresistibles en els videojocs) e-week 2013.

International workshop on higher education, on 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. University of Vic. A meeting point where researchers, PhD students and institutions can take part in discussions in various fields.

Guest Lecturer in Graduated courses at ELISAVA, “Diseño y Comunicación” and “Diseño Publicitario y Comunicación”.

She is co-editor with Jose Luis Eguia of “Gamificación en aulas universitarias“, a book dedicated to applied gamification in the area of higher education (Incom-UAB Press, 2016) and “Repensemos el juego” (Incom-UAB Press, 2015). She is also the co-author with Lynn Alves and others  of the book “Jogos digitais e aprendizagem” (Papirus Press, 2016).

She currently serves on the editorial board of Obra Digital publication edited by University of Vic and University of Azuay. Reviewer for Atlantic Journal of CommunicationThe International HETL Review, Life Play, ICONO14 or Entertainment Computing.

Member of the scientific advisory board on international conferences: International Workshop on Gamification and Games for Learning (GAMILEARN’17); 3rd Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (Special Track Immersive Experiences in Later Age 2017); Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames) since 2011; Gamification World Congress 2014 and 2015 ; Jogos & Mobile learning; Seminário Jogos Eletrônicos, Educação e Comunicação; Sistemas, Cibernética e Informática: CISCI 2011 and CISCI 2012, II International Congress “Videojuegos y Educación”, SGameplay 2012, SGameplay 2013 and 2014, Bibliotic 2013 and McLuhan Galaxy Conference 2011.

Member of the Network of Mexican Professionals RTM (Red de Talentos Mexicanos). Now, president in the Barcelona Chapter.

External evaluator A3ES (Portuguese Agency of Evaluation and Accreditation).

Co-author of the blog www.juegosyaprendizaje.com (since 2011) and author of  Power-ups: un blog sobre juegos y aprendizaje in SciLogs, the Spanish network for researchers and scientists.  SciLogs is part of the magazine Investigación y Ciencia (Scientific American, Spanish version).

She now lives in Barcelona.

Orcid ID 0000-0002-9699-9087