Wes Johnson
He sleeps rather soundly for a murderer. Or wait, maybe that’s one of his characters. The lines tend to blur.Wes goes by many other names: Sheogorath. Hermaeus Mora. Lucien Lachance. The Silver Shroud. Fawkes. Moe Cronin. Imperial Guards. Ron Hope. Hey You! Just to name a few. Here are a few details…
AH yes, he’s been expecting you. Wes was the guy who questioned you fresh off the boat in Bethesda Game Studio’s “MORROWIND.” He was both the Criminal Scum and the Guards who arrested them in “OBLIVION” as well as a Daedric Price of Madness named Sheogorath. Wes returned to Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls series in “SKYRIM”, reprising Sheo, Lucien, and Hermaeus Mora. He is currently reprising Hermaeus Mora as the lead in the Elder Scrolls Online Chapters: NECROM and THE GOLD ROAD, and appears in STARFIELD as Corporate Overlord Ron Hope. Wes was The Despot of Markarth, Ard Caddach in ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: MARKARTH and grieving father Jahones Valain in ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: THE GOLD ROAD. Wes reprised his Arena Announcer and Sheogorath from OBLIVION in ELDER SCROLLS: LEGENDS and ELDER SCROLLS: BLADES.
Love FALLOUT? Wes was every Protectron Robot in Fallout 76, FO4 and FO3, fought for JUSTICE as The Silver Shroud and sold “Swattahs” in the wastelands of “FALLOUT 4.” Wes stole your kills as Fawkes, swayed you to to do evil as Mr Burke, and bitched a lot as Scribe Bigsley in in “FALLOUT 3.” He fought famous Starship Captains as Klingons in “STAR TREK: LEGACY and CONQUEST, can be found as Maghar Orcs in “World of Warcraft.” Wes has been proudly UNLEASHING THE FURY and calling goals for the NHL’s WASHINGTON CAPITALS since forever (and has a great big Championship ring to show for it). Wes has been SEEN as well as heard in feature films such as Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up,” John Waters’ “A Dirty Shame,” Chris Rock’s “Head of State,” “The Invasion,” “For Richer or Poorer,” and has made appearances on HBO’s “VEEP,” “The Wire,” and NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Wes was in a pilot with the late, great Ed Asner and has voiced SpongeBob Squarepants promos on Nickelodeon. He has three films premiering this year, including a very bad man in “Sanctuary,” as a Klingon in “Farragut Forward,” and suffering mightily in the horror film “Last Night at Terrace Lanes.”A comedian and impressionist, Wes worked morning radio at WHFS-FM, was the comedy co-host on a national radio show with the late Wolfman Jack, and has performed songs on “The Doctor Demento Show.” In the end, Wes is happiest about his role as husband to Kim and father to Ben, Sam, and Max. He is owned by a spoiled Chi-weenie.
Mike Rosson
Mike’s vocal versatility has served him well in games like FALLOUT 4, as he ruled the wastelands as the Minuteman Radio Voice and the Vault Tech Scientist, and in FALLOUT 3 as Colin Moriarty, Dr Lesko, Gob and all male Ghouls. Mike took to space and battled all five legendary original Starfleet Captains as various Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and Borg in Star Trek: Legacy & Star Trek Conquest. Visually, he has appeared in films such as John Waters’ “A Dirty Shame” and the cult classic “The Better Half.” Mike made his mark in stand-up comedy as the Cap’n Cable half of the legendary comedy duo The Video Pirates.
Never to be found without his trusty ukulele at his side, Mike occasionally utilizes the alias “Big Bill Brody.” Mike has written songs and recorded backup vocals with the band The Pheromones, performed on The Doctor Demento Show, and improvised several classic bits on air live with the late, great Wolfman Jack on his nationally syndicated show. Mike can be seen playing some wicked bluegrass with his band “5:30 Somewhere.” Mike busies himself with a podcast at ALaughOrTwo.com.
Mike has a tender heart, a quick wit, and is a pushover for the select few who call him by the nickname “Dad.” YOU however, can call him Mike. Or, if ye want to survive, address him as “Cap’n.”
Nathan Hahn
He is currently working as both a Producer at Bethesda Game Studios and an instructor in the George Mason Computer Game Design Program. He has an M.A. in computer game design from George Mason University and an M.B.A from Clarewood University. While working in IT at a housing finance company, he worked as lead programmer on the indie game The Girl Who Sees, which released in 2019. As part of his M.A. studies, he worked as lead programmer and producer for the VR game Give the People What They Want for Starlight Vintage Studios which released in 2022. He ended up in game production from being a programmer who discovered his task board organization was more reliable than his code. To learn more about his work, visit https://nhahn.works/.
Greg Grimsby
He has a background is in traditional and digital arts, earning his MFA in painting from George Mason University in 2017. He has been teaching 3D modeling and animation at Mason since 2010 and he was bestowed Mason’s Teaching Excellence award in 2014 and Online Teaching Excellence in 2023. Grimsby has over 25 years of experience in computer game development including 6 years as Art Director for Electronic Arts. He contributed to games such as Warhammer Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and Multiplayer Battletech: 3025. His research interests include ludology and board game design. Grimsby runs a board game company, Ogre Crossing Games, which successfully kickstarted and shipped Alien Petshop worldwide in 2022.
James Casey
James Casey is the Co-Director of the Virginia Serious Games Institution which is the applied research, business incubation, and outreach arm of the Computer Game Design program at George Mason University. In this role, James participates, engages, and mentors with all of the incubated companies at the VSGI and serves as principal investigator on applied research projects initiated at the VSGI. As an Associate Professor in the Computer Game Design program, James teaches and oversees the Senior Capstone Synthesis classes. Prior to joining George Mason University, James has over 12 years of experience developing video games. He has extensive knowledge in the production and live management of games working on titles from Mythic Entertainment, Bioware, EA, and EA Mobile. James worked in a number of roles including customer service, design, content lead, and producer. The majority of his tenure in the industry was in the producer role with production experience on Live and in-development titles. His portfolio of work includes such PC titles as Dark Age of Camelot, Ultima Online, Imperator Online, Warhammer Online: Age of Chaos, Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes as well as the mobile titles Ultima Forever and Dungeon Keeper. As well, James worked on a number of prototype projects and co-development titles for the studio and helped to lead the transition to mobile for the studio. He’s earned his Master and Bachelor degrees in Business Administration as well as a creative writing minor.
Sang Nam
Professor Sang Nam is a distinguished faculty member at George Mason University, specializing in technology-intensive courses within the Computer Game Design Program. He holds an MFA in Electronic Integrated Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, as well as a BA in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts, and a BS in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego.
Professor Nam’s scholarly work intricately explores the intersection of technology and art, examining how technological advancements influence various art forms and the public’s perception of these art products. His innovative projects have been showcased globally, including exhibitions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Korea, Hungary, China, and Tunisia. As a dedicated teacher-scholar, Professor Nam has conducted extensive research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. His exceptional contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the 2010 National Teaching Scholar Award (Carnegie Foundation/Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), the Elon Teaching Scholar Award (2010-2021), and the 2008 Wisconsin Teaching Fellow Award (University of Wisconsin Systems).
In 2018, Professor Nam founded Nam ER Technology LLC, a software company focused on developing serious games and training applications for clients such as the US Army, USAID, and the US Department of Defense, among other government and private entities. In collaboration with ThunderCat Technology, LLC, his company became a US Army Information Technology Enterprise Solutions Software 2 (ITES-SW2) contract holder in 2020, being one of only 31 contractors on this $13 billion, 10-year award.
Professor Nam’s international collaborations underscore his global influence. As a Fulbright Specialist (US Department of State), he has worked with Tunisian government agencies on projects aimed at empowering Tunisian youth with game development and virtual reality production skills (2022) and providing gamification and serious game solutions for the historical site, Dar Sebastian in Hammamet, Tunisia (2024-2025). He also has ongoing initiatives in the United Arab Emirates, focusing on game development and extended reality (XR) education for young Emiratis. Additionally, he is leading the development of an AI framework to address climate change and promote local interest group engagement, funded by the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, he secured further funding to initiate a game design and development capacity-building project for youth in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Professor Nam is a sought-after speaker, frequently invited to present at conferences and events beyond the university. He was the guest of honor at the AETEX 2024, Ajman International Fair for Education and Training, in the UAE. His keynote and guest speaking engagements include appearances at the 2023 Dublin Learning City Festival, the 2022 International Conference on Global Trends in Gaming (ICGTG 2022), the 2022 International Symposium on Digital Therapeutics (DTx), and the 2021 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC) Special College Session.
In addition to his teaching and entrepreneurial endeavors, Professor Nam has made significant contributions to research in game design and development. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of eSports Multidisciplinary Research (IJER) published by IGI Global and as an Associate Editor of Entertainment Computing, a peer-reviewed scholarly research journal.
Kyle Bishop
Kyle Bishop graduated from George Mason University with a BFA in Computer Game Design in 2013. After working as an Assistant Interactive Producer at Discovery Inc, he co-founded Little Arms Studios (LAS), an innovative company currently focused on creating training simulation platforms for public safety and professional development. LAS leverages technology to help prevent loss of life and damage to property by making training safer, measurable, and more effective. He was awarded the Thomas W. Iszard IV Distinguished Alumni award from George Mason University in 2023 for his contributions to the community and efforts in the simulation and serious games industry. Kyle has been interviewed on podcasts and video formats, and participated as an expert on panels at sUAS industry conferences.
Alex Estep
Earning his BFA in Computer Game Design from George Mason University in 2013, Alex joined Kyle and Stewart in founding Little Arms Studios, LLC. Since then, he has led the project management and web development efforts for IVIS (Interactive Virtual Incident Simulator), Zephyr Drone Simulator, and GEARS (online psychological assessment platform). Alex is a Certified SCRUM Master through scrumalliance.org.
GAMEMason 2024 Talk Schedule and Speakers/Concert Hall
Friday, September 20th
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Triforce Quartet
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm: Starting Your Own Game/Software Development Business: Kyle Bishop, CEO, and Alex Estep, VP of Production Little Arms Studio, Starting Your Own Game/Software Development Business
Join us for a presentation by GMU alumni who turned their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. This talk will take you through their incredible journey from launching a bootstrapped startup to building a thriving multi-million-dollar software business. Gain valuable insights as they share pivotal lessons learned, practical advice for budding entrepreneurs, and strategies for navigating the challenges of starting and scaling a business. There will be a Q&A session to help curious, budding, and aspiring entrepreneurs get off to a good start.
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm: The Impact of AI on Voice Acting: Wes Johnson, Voice Actor, and Mike Rosson, Voice Actor
Your likeness. Your Voice. Your Performance. The soul and body of your work. Who do they belong to? You? Or the corporations that employ you?
Join Screen Actors Guild members, Actors and Voice Actors Wes Johnson & Mike Rosson as they discuss the impact the AI revolution has had on the industry, and the future of live performance.
Wes & Mike will be appearing in person as a live humans, not a replicated voices or holograms. You can see them. They can see you. It’s not the internet.
4:45 pm – 5:15 pm: Wes Johnson and Mike Rosson, Voice Actor Q&A
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Cosplay Contest
Saturday, Sept 21st
11:00 am – 11:45 am: Working as a Producer in Games: Nathan Hahn, Producer at Bethesda Game Studios and instructor in the George Mason Computer Game Design Program.
Production sometimes ends up being the place for people who want to work in games, but rather than specializing, they prefer to be an “all-rounder” on a game development team. But what does being a producer entail, and how does the role of production change across teams and companies? In this talk, Nathan will go into his past experience with game development, how he ended up in game production, and the key skills you can develop to become a successful producer in games.
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Let’s Make a Game: Exploring a Process for Designing Boardgames: Greg Grimsby, Associate Professor of Game Design, George Mason University, Owner of Ogre Crossing Games, LLC
This presentation, with heavy audience participation, will demonstrate how to begin the ideation of a tabletop game. We’ll design a game together after deconstructing 5 key design characteristics of popular board games. Even if you never make a board game, you’ll leave this talk understanding the design choices informing your favorite tabletop games.
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm: The Evolution of Games as a Business: James Casey, Co-Director of the Virginia Serious Games Institution and Sang Nam, Professor & Director, Computer Game Design
Join us for a quick history of the Games industry and how it has become one of the dominant entertainment industries and how it’s now influencing multiple other industries to fuel innovation and technology advances. James will discuss where Games came from and where they are going.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Build Your Own Gundam Model