Pedro M. A. Fernandes completed Lusófona University's BA in Videogames (2021) and the MA in Game Design and Playful Media (2023). They have published peer-reviewed articles and worked on funded projects (FCT and H2020) as a researcher. They are currently enroled in the PhD in Media Art and Communication by the same university, and are working on the FCT-funded GameIN project as a researcher.

Personal identification

Full name
Pedro Miguel Alves Fernandes

Citation names

  • Fernandes, Pedro M. A.

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
B516-784E-B3B7
ORCID iD
0000-0001-6676-882X

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Advanced (C1) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2)
Degree Classification
2023 - 2026
Ongoing
 Media Art and Communication (Doutoramento)
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
2021 - 2023
Concluded
 Game Design and Playful Media (Mestrado)
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
"Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment to Improve Player Experience in Games for Rehabilitation" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 18
2018 - 2021
Concluded
 Videogames (Licenciatura)
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
 15

Grant

Designation Funders
2024/02 - 2024/12/31 Games Inclusion Lab: Participatory Media Creation Processes for Accessibility
2022.07939.PTDC
10.54499/2022.07939.PTDC
Researcher
Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT, Portugal
 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
2023/03 - 2024/02 EPIC-WE - Empowered Participation through Ideating Cultural Worlds and Environments
101095058
Researcher
Horizon 2020
Ongoing
2022/03 - 2023/03 PlayersAll: media agency and empowerment
EXPL/COM-OUT/0882/2021
Researcher
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing

Publications

Book chapter
  1. Fernandes, Pedro M. A.; Inácio, Pedro M. A.; Feliciano, Hugo; Fachada, Nuno. "SimpAI: Evolutionary Heuristics for the ColorShapeLinks Board Game Competition". In Communications in Computer and Information Science, 113-126. Springer International Publishing, 2022.
    Published • 10.1007/978-3-030-95305-8_9
Conference paper
  1. Fernandes, Pedro M. A.; Neves, Pedro Pinto ; Lopes, Phil. "Subtractive Design Practices and 2010's New Wave of Indie Horror Games". Paper presented in Foundations of Digital Games (FDG 2024), Worcester, Massachusetts, 2024.
    In press • https://doi.org/10.1145/3649921.3650019
  2. Neves, Pedro; Fernandes, Pedro M. A.; Nunes, Inês; Fonseca, Micaela; Lopes, Phil. "Early Playtesting with Clients and Therapists of More Game-Like Therapy". Paper presented in IEEE Conference on Games, Boston, 2023.
    Published • 10.1109/cog57401.2023.10333132
  3. Luz, Filipe; Fernandes, Pedro M. A.; Cabral, João. "Playing Pong without a TV Screen: an Alternative controller game". Paper presented in IEEE Conference on Games, City of Boston, 2023.
    Published • 10.1109/cog57401.2023.10333154
Journal article
  1. Filipe Luz; Wilson Almeida; Pedro Fernandes; Micaela Fonseca. "Cultural Game Jam Model: A Quadruple Helix Intervention". European Conference on Games Based Learning (2024): https://doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2642.
    10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2642
  2. Maria Gonçalves; Inês Nunes; Pedro Fernandes; Conceição Costa. "What is “Learning” in Serious Game Jams? A Systematic Literature Review". European Conference on Games Based Learning (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2673.
    10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2673
  3. Cátia Casimiro; João Léste; Pedro Fernandes; Carla Sousa; Filipe Luz. "Empowering Neurodiverse Voices in Research Ethics through a Playful Card-Based Approach". European Conference on Games Based Learning (2024): https://doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2674.
    10.34190/ecgbl.18.1.2674
  4. Lilia Marcelino; Fernandes, Pedro M. A.; João Cerqueira. "Learning Engagement in a Pre-Alpha Version of an Educational Game: Evaluation and Proposed Solutions". International Journal of Games and Social Impact (2024): https://doi.org/10.24140/ijgsi.v2.n1.02.
    10.24140/ijgsi.v2.n1.02
Report
  1. Costa Conceição; Pedro Fernandes; Inês Nunes; Maria Gonçalves; Micaela Fonseca. 2024. Report on good practices - Game jams and game-making co-creation practices amongst Cultural Heritage Institutions, Creative Industries, Higher Education Institutions and Youth Citizens. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.14654105.
    10.5281/ZENODO.14654105

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2025/03/04 The role of newfound access to 3D development tools in 2010's New Wave of Horror I Early Career Scholars Conference
Lusófona University (Lisbon, Portugal)
2024/05/30 "Searching for what defines digital horror games in 2010s' new wave of horror" Horror Studies Now
Horror Studies Research Group at Northumbria University (UK) (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom)
2024/05/24 "Subtractive Design Practices and 2010's New Wave of Indie Horror Games" Foundations of Digital Games (FDG 2024)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) (Worcester, United States)
2024/01/09 "A new wave of horror: Analyzing the game design trends of 2010s first-person indie horror movement" Playful by Design
Lusófona University (Lisbon, Portugal)
2023/11/23 "Criação de narrativas para jogos de terror" // "How horror games use narratives" Lisboa Games Week
Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) (Lisbon, Portugal)
2023/08/23 "Early playtesting with clients and therapists of more game-like therapy" IEEE Conference on Games
Northeastern University (Boston, United States)
2023/08/23 "Playing Pong without a TV Screen: an Alternative controller game" IEEE Conference on Games
Northeastern University (Boston, United States)
2022/09/20 "Jogos com controlos alternativos: design de jogos para diversão e bem-estar" II Congresso Internacional sobre Metodologia (Qualis2022)
DEE International Publishing (Coimbra, Portugal)
2021/06/24 "Learning engagement in a pre-alpha version of an educational game: evaluation and proposed solutions" 8th International Congress of Audiovisual Researchers
Lusófona University (Lisboa, Portugal)
2020/11 "SimpAI: Evolutionary Heuristics for the ColorShapeLinks Board Game Competition" Videojogos 2020 - the 12th Internacional Conference on Videogame Sciences and Arts
Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Mirandela, Portugal)

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2024/03/21 - 2024/03/22 Participated in a round table where PhD students discussed their research projects with other researchers
Round table
 FilmEU DOCTUS - Media Arts Back & Forth
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
2023/09/29 - 2023/09/29 Presented projects at the European Researchers' Night (2023) in Lisbon, Portugal.
Exhibition
 European Researchers' Night (2023)
Museu Nacional de História Natural e Ciência, Portugal
2023/05/23 - 2023/05/23 Presented the PlayersAll project (EXPL/COM-OUT/0882/2021) in a research meet-up held at IADE in Lisbon, Portugal.
Meeting
 Game based-formats to enhance creativity and innovation funnels
Universidade Europeia IADE Faculdade de Design Tecnologia e Comunicação, Portugal
2023/04/11 - 2023/04/14 Presented projects at the 'Games and Demos' track of Foundations of Digital Games (FDG 2023) in Lisbon, Portugal.
Conference
 Foundations of Digital Games (FDG 2023)
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
2022/10/10 - 2022/10/16 Presented projects at the Feira Internacional de Ciência (FIC.A 2022) in Oeiras, Portugal.
Festival
 Feira Internacional de Ciência (FIC.A 2022)
Camara Municipal Oeiras, Portugal
2022/09/30 - 2022/09/30 Presented projects at the European Researchers' Night (2022) in Lisbon, Portugal.
Exhibition
 European Researchers' Night (2022)
Museu Nacional de História Natural e Ciência, Portugal
2022/07/15 - 2022/07/22 Presented the 'HexPong' multimedia project at Lusófona University's Over&Out event.
Exhibition
 Over&Out
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal
2022/06/20 - 2022/06/23 Presented the 'HexPong' multimedia project on the International Conference on Live Interfaces 2022.
Conference
 International Conference on Live Interfaces 2022
Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Portugal

Ad Hoc journal article review

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2024/10/07 - 2024/10/18 International Journal of Games and Social Impact (IJGSI) ( 2975-8386)
2024/10/07 - 2024/10/14 The International Journal of Games and Social Impact (IJGSI) (2975-8386)

Conference scientific committee

Conference name Conference host
2023/11 - 2024/01 Foundations of Digital Games (FDG 2024) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)