Dr. Sara M. Grimes Principal Investigator
Dr. Sara M. Grimes is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, and a Visiting Professor in Book and Media Studies at the University of St. Michael's College. She is the Principal Investigator on the Kids' DIY Media Project, a SSHRC-funded, cross-sector partnership aimed at identifying and fostering emerging opportunities, as well as addressing challenges, associated with kids' making and sharing their own media content online.
Sara researches primarily in the areas of children's digital media culture(s), play studies and critical theories of technology, with a special focus on videogames. She has published work exploring the commercialization of children's virtual worlds and online communities, the articulation of a critical theory of digital game play, discussions of intellectual property and fair dealing in digital game environments, as well as the legal and ethical dimensions of marketing to children online.
Her work has appeared in journals such as Science, Technology & Human Values, New Media & Society, The Information Society, Communication, Culture & Critique, the Journal of Consumer Culture, as chapters in edited volumes, as well as in various magazines and blogs. Sara has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences, workshops and festivals.
In addition to the Kids' DIY Media project, Sara is currently leading the Playing at Making project, which tracks the growing phenomenon of "child-generated content" in digital games and online environments, focusing on how games can be used to advance children's cultural rights, particularly among marginalized youth. Sara is also associate director of the Semaphore Lab, heading the Adaptive Gaming and Inclusive Play research area.
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