About Sam Shahrani

Sam Shahrani is a graduate of Indiana University's Department of Telecommunications, where he earned a B. A. in Telecommunications with a Minor in Business. He is also a recipient of a Master of Arts degree from Indiana University; his M. A. thesis was titled "The Game Level As Scene: Applicability of Fiction Writing Techniques to the Construction of Narrative Games", and focused on the use of traditional fiction writing techniques, specifically screenplay, teleplay and novels, to create and enhance the narrative of modern interactive computer games.

Sam has extensive experience in Human-Computer Interaction Design both in academic and real-world situations. He interned at Chicago-based Jellyvision, Inc. in the summer of 2004, and while there he assisted in the testing and implementation of products using Jellyvision's innovative Interactive Conversation Interfaces, or iCi's, which Bring Machines to Life™. Projects he worked on include a prototype of the now defunct #YES, a system which allowed radio listeners to call in and purchase the songs they just heard through a completely automated system. Thanks to iCi technology, users may not even have known that they were not speaking with real people.

All Jellyvision iCi projects follow the Jack Principles, developed by Jellyvision as a guideline for interactivity in their award-winning series of You Don't Know Jack! games.

Academically, Sam has studied Human-Computer Interaction Design through the Indiana University School of Informatics, a nationally recognized school on the cutting edge of the emerging field of Informatics. In the 2006 academic year the school will offer the nations first PhD in Informatics with concentrations in a number of sub-fields, including Human Computer Interaction Design and Cyber-security.

Besides his interests in Human-Computer Interaction Design, Sam has also studied video production/editing, audio recording/editing, web design, programming and level design for 3D computer games through the innovative Master's in Immersive Mediated Environments, or MIME, program through the Indiana University Department of Telecommunications. Sam has a particular interest in research into enhancing dialog and conversation between the player and non-player characters (NPC's) in video games, as well as the history of level design and interactivity in computer games.

Other interests involve design issues relating to technology for law-enforcement and first-responders.

He currently resides in the city of Columbus, Indiana.