I forget that I have a blog sometimes, I only post my recap once a year. But here goes, 2023 has been a rollercoaster… But after 4 years, I finally finished my PhD!!! You can call me Dr. Chen now, also a Doctor in (of?) Video Games.
To be honest, the past year had been a lot, there were months where depression and anxiety was so bad that I was barely functional, but with lots of sessions with a counsellor and support from my supervisors, I got there in the end. I feel a bit naive in the beginning of the PhD that I’ll finish early, but nah, I went right up to the final deadline.
January
PhD aside, last year was about experiencing the most of Melbourne and Australia, so I went to the Australian Open for the first time.
February
Chinese New Year, it’s actually my year, Year of the Rabbit (if anyone asks, I’m 24).
Lastyear was also about getting more work life balance and trying to go out more.
March – April
Went to Ed Sheeran Concert!!!
Went to F1 Australian Grand Prix.
May
Showcased some of the games from Mental Jam at ACMI + RMIT Audience Lab.
Then from ACMI, I fly straight to New Zealand (my first overseas trip since Covid).βNew Zealand was absolutely magical, words can’t really describe it, so here is a spam of photos.
I also met up with my friend, Regine, for the first time in forever.
June
I presented my research at Games Symposium Oceania and Asia Pacific, you can watch the recording here: https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/media/Mental_Jam_Co-creating_video_games_about_the_lived_experiences_of_depression_and_anxiety_-_Michelle_Chen_RMIT_University/24042989?file=42159053
As part of Museum Victoria’s Culture Makers program, I created a video game and facilitated workshops at the Immigration Museum.
Also watched Harry Potter and the Cursed Child again before it left Melbourne. Played around with Adobe Firefly to get rid of all the people from the picture (it’s a bit wonky).
July
I was on TV! House of Wellness on Channel 7 recorded such a lovely interview about my PhD research.
August
My PhD Thesis submission deadline. It was a very hectic month and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. But somehow I did, and even managed to go to the Evanescence concert that night (my favorite band from childhood, it was a dream come true, even better than submitting the PhD).
September
My birthday month and my partner planned a weekend road trip to canola fields and a hot air balloon ride (it was so beautiful). I’m gonna spam reels.
Went on another road trip with the girls to the tulip field, it was soo cute.
October
For my PhD, I had to have an examination at the PRS (Practice Research Symposium), which is an hour long prerecorded video followed by an hour of questions. So I actually spent two days filming and way longer editing my presentation (there were a lot of bloopers).
You can watch my PhD Examination here:
I also showcased some of the games during Melbourne International Games Week Mind Games event.
While waiting for the presentation day, I actually joined a bunch of incubator programs (‘coz I can’t sit still) to pivot my research into a social enterprise: RMIT Activator FounderHub, Blackbird Giants, and Create Co-operative Anyone Can. And I won a few pitches too.
November
I was the finalist in the research category of the Victorian International Education Awards.
And I went straight from the Awards ceremony to a flight to Sydney in preparation for a Disney Cruise.
December
I presented my research at VMIAC’s unconference.
My family came to visit me in Melbourne and we went to many shows and road trips. It was my first Christmas with my family in 4 years. After that I flew back home to Taiwan and Philippines for the first time in 4 years too.
And that’s it.
What’s next for 2024?
Michelle Chen 