David Kirschner

Dr. David Kirschner is a micro-sociologist trained in the symbolic interactionist tradition. His research focuses on the intersection of micro-sociology, human-computer interaction and game-based learning. He earned his PhD in sociology in 2014 from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he studied how videogame players are socialized into virtual worlds, including how they learn game rules and social norms through interaction with human and non-human others. Kirschner has since explored topics such as virtual reality sickness, gamification and health activism, gender representation in videogame advertisements, the dynamics of multi-player online gaming, sociological perspectives on role-playing games, and both self-directed and social-emotional learning in videogames. Current research projects include exploring communities of practice among artificial intelligences in single-player videogames and assessing student satisfaction of videogame-based learning in the classroom. His research has been published in various outlets in sociology, game studies and education, including the journals Symbolic Interaction, Simulation & Gaming and Computers & Education.

Kirschner came to GGC in 2015 and was promoted to associate professor of sociology in 2021. Before becoming the chair of the Human Services and Cultural Studies Department (2022-present), he served as the chair of studies for human development and aging services (2019-2022) and as coordinator for the sociology discipline (2017-2019). He has taught numerous courses in sociology and human services, such as Games, Learning, and Society, Death, Grief, and Dying, Environmental Sociology, Social Theory, Sociology of Disability, Writing in the Social Sciences, and Human Services Senior Capstone.

In his free time, he enjoys playing videogames (obviously), reading, hiking / camping / backpacking, cooking, watching horror movies and listening to death metal music with his grumpy old cat named Baby.

• Doctorate – sociology – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Master’s – social science education with emphasis in history – University of Georgia
• Bachelor’s – sociology – University of Georgia

Training and Certifications

• 2024, January 10-11, Department Chair Leadership Institute, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C.
• 2023, December 31, QM Rubric Update Seventh Edition
• 2023, July 17-18, New Deans and Chairs Workshop, University System of Georgia, Middle Georgia State College
• 2023, June 9-23, Strategic Leadership Program, Chronicle of Higher Education, virtual
• 2023, May 9-30, Peer Reviewer Course, Quality Matters
• 2022, May 10-24, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR), Quality Matters

• Human-computer interaction
• Gaming
• Media and society
• Socialization
• Qualitative research methods

Selected Publications

• Williams, J. P., Kirschner, D., & Deterding, S. (in press). Sociology and role-playing games. In J. Zagal & S. Deterding (Eds.), Role-playing game studies: Transmedia foundations (2nd ed.). Routledge.
• Toh, W., & Kirschner, D. (2023). Developing social-emotional concepts for learning with video games. Computers & Education, 194.
• Kirschner, D. (2021). Multi-player online gaming. In D. von Lehn, N. Ruiz-Junco, & W. Gibson (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of interactionism. Routledge.
• Kirschner, D., & Reed, S. (2021). Learning community: Games in society. In R. E. Ferdig, E. Baumgartner, & E. Gandolfi (Eds.), Teaching the game: A collection of syllabi for game design, development, and implementation (Vol. 1). ETC Press.
• Toh, W., & Kirschner, D. (2020). Self-directed learning in video games: Affordances and pedagogical implications for teaching and learning. Computers & Education, 154.
• Williams, J. P., Kirschner, D., Mizer, N., & Deterding, S. (2018). Sociology and role-playing games. In J. Zagal & S. Deterding (Eds.), Role-playing game studies: Transmedia foundations. Routledge.
• Kirschner, D. (2017). The development of a gamified system for health activism as a collaborative graduate student project. In R. Zheng & M. Gardner (Eds.), Handbook of research on serious games for educational applications. IGI Global.
• Kirschner, D., & Williams, J. P. (2014). Measuring video game engagement through the gameplay review method. Simulation & Gaming, 45(4-5), 593–610.
• Williams, J. P., Kirschner, D., & Suhaimi-Broder, Z. (2014) Structural roles in massively-multiplayer online games: A case study of guild and raid leaders in World of Warcraft. Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 43, 121–142.
• Kirschner, D., & Williams, J. P. (2014). A microsociological perspective on non-verbal communicative strategies in MMORPGs. In T. J. Tanenbaum, M. Seif el-Nasr, & M. Nixon (Eds.), Nonverbal communication in virtual worlds. ETC Press.
• Kirschner, D., & Williams, J. P. (2013). Experts and novices or expertise? Positioning players through gameplay reviews. In Proceedings of DiGRA 2013: DeFragging Game Studies. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA. August 26-29.
• Williams, J. P., & Kirschner, D. (2013). Elements of social action: A micro-analytic approach to the atudy of collaborative behavior in digital games. In Proceedings of DiGRA 2013: DeFragging Game Studies. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA. August 26-29.
• Williams, J. P., & Kirschner, D. (2012). Coordinated action in the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft. Symbolic Interaction, 35(3), 340–367.

• 2022-2023, recipient, GGC Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award
• 2022-2023, recipient, Career Services Career Development Integration Award
• 2021-2022, recipient, Career Development and Advising Center’s Career Development Integration Award
• 2021-2022, nominee, GGC Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, Outstanding Faculty Service Award and Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award
• 2019-2020, nominee, GGC Outstanding Student Engagement Award
• 2018-2019, nominee, GGC Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award
• 2016-2017, nominee, GGC Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award