EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media, North Carolina State University (May 2026 - Expected)
Dissertation: Extra! Extra! Play all about it! How video game journalists cover sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard
M.A. in Media Studies, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (December 2020)
Thesis: Are they really just cosmetic? The impact of cosmetic items on Fortnite’s gameplay and game design
B.A. in Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (May 2017)
Media Studies Concentration
B.A. in Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (May 2017)
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Graduate Teaching Assistant (August 2021 - May 2025)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Graduate Teaching Assistant (September 2018 - May 2020)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Research Assistant (June 2014 - November 2014)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
PUBLICATIONS
[In press] Fennimore, J. J. (2025). [Review of the book Videogames in the Indian Subcontinent: Development, Culture(s) and Representations, by S. Mukherjee]. Information and Culture, 60(3).
Fennimore, J. J. (2025). How Video Game Journalists Cover Sexual Misconduct in the Industry. Abstract Proceedings of DiGRA 2025: Games at the Crossroads, Malta. https://doi.org/10.26503/dl.v2025i3.2559
Scardua, M., & Fennimore, J. J. (2024). Grassroots: Developing a Location-Based Game through a Decolonial Lens. Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, USA, 6934-6944. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/107217
Fennimore, J. J. (2021). Who watches the watch dogs? How Watch Dogs 2 represents hacker culture and hacktivism. Mediální studia, 15(1), 43-61. ISSN 2464-4846. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=970931
Fennimore, J. J. (2019). How a Disney Film Becomes a Video Game. In Goldstein, E. & Booth, P. (Eds.), A Celebration of Disney (52-61). Blurb.
https://www.blurb.com/b/9419038-a-celebration-of-disney
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Fennimore, J. J. (2025). How Video Game Journalists Cover Sexual Misconduct in the Industry [Conference presentation]. DiGRA 2025: Games at the Crossroads, University of Malta, Valletta, Malta.
Fennimore, J. J. (2025). Teaching with a Game that Isn’t Fun: On Using Angela Washko’s The Game: The Game in the Classroom [Symposium presentation]. 2025 Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Symposium, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Fennimore, J. J. (2024). Teaching with a Game that Isn’t Fun: On Using Angela Washko’s The Game: The Game in the Classroom [Conference presentation]. Rhetoric Society of America Conference 2024, Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, Denver, CO.
Fennimore, J. J. (2024). ‘What We Wearing, Boys?’: The Impact of Cosmetic Items on Fortnite’s Gameplay and Beyond [Conference presentation]. Popular Culture Association 2024 National Conference, Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL.
Scardua, M., & Fennimore, J. J. (2024). Grassroots: Developing a Location-Based Game Through a Decolonial Lens [Conference presentation]. 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu, HI. (Co-authored with Mariá Scardua)
Scardua, M., & Fennimore, J. J. (2023). Grassroots: Developing a Location-Based Game Through a Decolonial Lens [Conference presentation]. Society for Philosophy and Technology 2023, National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Fennimore, J. J. (2023). A Meal with a Side of Art: Nostalgia, Aesthetics, and the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box from McDonald’s [Conference presentation]. Popular Culture Association 2023 National Conference, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk, San Antonio, TX.
Fennimore, J. J. (2022). Pokémon GO to the Bank: How Pokémon GO’s Monetization Works [Conference presentation]. 2022 Midwest Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association Annual Conference, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Fennimore, J. J. (2022). Modding Coloniality: Exploring the Potential of Villager Mods to Decolonize Minecraft [Conference presentation]. The Canadian Game Studies Association 2022 Annual Conference, Virtual.
Fennimore, J. J. (2022). Modding Coloniality: How Mods Can Challenge or Intensify the Colonial Rhetoric of Minecraft [Symposium presentation]. 2022 Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Symposium: Infrastructures and/as Anticolonialism, North Carolina State University, Virtual.
Fennimore, J. J. (2022). March Through Time: The Remediation & Misappropriation of Martin Luther King Jr. in Fortnite [Conference presentation]. Popular Culture Association 2022 National Conference, Virtual.
Fennimore, J. J. (2021). How Mary Jane Hit the Jackpot in Marvel’s Spider-Man [Conference presentation]. DePaul Pop Culture Conference: A Celebration of Superheroes, DePaul University, Virtual.
Fennimore, J. J. (2021). Who Watches the Watch Dogs? An Analysis of Watch Dogs 2’s Representation of Hacker Culture & Hacktivism [Conference presentation]. Midwest Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI.
Fennimore, J. J. (2020). Understanding Hypnospace Outlaw: What a Video Game about the Internet of 1999 Says About the Real-Life Internet of Today [Conference presentation]. Midwest Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI.
Fennimore, J. J. (2020). The American Dream World of Disneyland: The American Values of Disneyland and How They’re Used to Appeal to its Audience [Conference presentation]. Urban Spaces, Creative Places: A Blueprint for the Humanities in the City, Marquette University Center for the Advancement of the Humanities, Milwaukee, WI.
Fennimore, J. J. (2019). How Disneyland Went to the Land of the Rising Sun: A Historiography of Tokyo Disneyland [Conference presentation]. Global Fusion, The University of Texas at Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film, Austin, TX.
Fennimore, J. J. (2019). The Legacy of Shrek & Its Impact on Disney [Conference presentation]. DePaul Pop Culture Conference: A Celebration of Disney, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Fennimore, J. J. (2019). How a Disney Movie Becomes a Video Game [Conference presentation]. DePaul Pop Culture Conference: A Celebration of Disney, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
INVITED TALKS
Scardua, M., & Fennimore, J. J. (2024, October). Queer Gamemaking with Twine [Presentation & Workshop]. Red Hat, Inc.
Fennimore, J. J. (2022, September). How to Say Things with Video Games [Lecture]. Duke University (ISS 190FS - Constructing Immersive Virtual Worlds with Augustus Wendell).
Fennimore, J. J. (2022, September). vMLK in the Public Speaking Classroom [Panel]. Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project: ACLS Digital Extension Workshop.
GRANTS
Fennimore, J. J. (2025). Spring 2025 Graduate Student Association Award for Travel and Conferences. Travel to Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) Conference 2025. Valletta, Malta. $500.
Fennimore, J. J. (2025). Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Student Association Travel Award.
Travel to Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) Conference 2025. Valletta, Malta. $300.
Fennimore, J. J. (2024). Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media Student Association Travel Award. Travel
to Rhetoric Society of America Conference 2024. Denver, CO. $300.
Fennimore, J. J. (2023). Rhetoric Society of America Institute Scholarship. Travel to RSA Summer Institute 2023.
State College, PA. $225.
Fennimore, J. J. (2023). Society for Philosophy and Technology Student Subsidy. Travel to 23rd biennial
international conference of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. Tokyo, Japan. 30,000 Yen.
Fennimore, J. J. (2023). Michael Schonecke Travel Grant. Travel to Popular Culture Association Annual Conference 2023. San Antonio, TX. $500.
AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS
57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Best Paper Awards: Nominated
University Graduate Fellowship ($4,000)
Global Fusion 2019 Student Paper Competition: Third Place
SYMPOSIA & CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
RSA Summer Institute, University of Cincinnati (June 2025)
Seminar: Digital Rhetorics
Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate, North Carolina State University (May 2024)
RSA Summer Institute, Pennsylvania State University (May 2023)
Seminar: Decolonizing Comparative Global Rhetorics
Workshop: Narrative Methods for Material Rhetorics
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Game Studies - COM 427
Upper-level undergraduate course on critically analyzing video games from media theory, cultural studies, and political economy perspectives. Activities included playing and critiquing games during class.
Studies in Rhetoric and Digital Media, “Exploring and Designing Virtual Worlds” - ENG/COM 395
Upper-level special topic undergraduate course on the influence of emerging technologies on rhetorical theory and practice. Students crafted virtual worlds in Mozilla Hubs complete with 3D assets created in Maya to learn about designing virtual worlds for various applications including education, healthcare, and cultural preservation. Original syllabus; new course topic.
Critical Analysis of Communication Media - COM 327
Upper-level undergraduate course about analyzing media as cultural artifacts through the practice of textual media criticism. Course focused on digital media and cultures with attention to students’ own use of media in shaping their identities and abilities. Course was taught in hybrid format.
Electronic Media Writing: Theory & Practice - COM 267
Lower-level undergraduate course on effective communication with media audiences for journalism, public relations, advertising, media analysis, video production, graphic design, and writing for drama. For the final project, students organized all their work into a portfolio to show potential employers.
Communication Media in a Changing World - COM 200
Lower-level undergraduate course for non-communication majors on examining innovations in the field of communication technology from prehistory to the present through practices of media history, media archaeology, infrastructure studies, aesthetic theory, and theories of embodiment.
Public Speaking - COM 110
Core course for Communication majors on skills and techniques in speech delivery as well as topic selection, research skills, speech organization, rhetorical studies, the public sphere, and the ethics of speaking. Course was taught in both 5 week (summer) and 16 week (semester) models, as well as both in person and asynchronous online models.
Environmental Ethics - IDS 201
Lower-level asynchronous online undergraduate course in the Interdisciplinary Studies program on applying ethical frameworks to contemporary issues regarding climate change.
Media Writing - JAMS 201
Core writing course for Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies majors on strategies and practices of journalism, public relations, advertising, and media studies.
MENTORSHIP
Graduate Student Membership (September 2022 - May 2024)
Mentored a graduate student in a younger cohort on completing the CRDM program successfully.
SKILLS
Academia
teaching experience, online teaching, hybrid teaching, teaching workshops, qualitative & quantitative research, critical/cultural studies, grant writing, proposal writing, rhetorical analysis, visual rhetoric analysis, textual analysis, content analysis, historiography, conference speaking, mentorship, database maintenance, archival research, APA style, Chicago Manual of Style, HIPPA training for researchers
Technology
WordPress, InDesign, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Audtion, Adobe Aero, Google Analytics, Google Trends, Moodle, Canvas by Instructure, Autodesk Maya, Unreal Engine, Unity, Audacity, Qualtrics
SERVICE
Paper Submission Reviewer
Games: Research and Practice [Journal]
58th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences [Conference]
57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences [Conference]
Rhetoric Society of America - NC State Chapter Member (2022-2024)
Secretary (2023-2024)
Designed virtual reality social space and promotional flyer for Carolina Rhetoric Conference 2022
Networked Mobilities Lab Volunteer - NC State (2021-2024)
Approved and edited 30 entries for the Retro Mobile Game Database
Video editor for “A History of Mobile Communication” pilot episode
Created a quiz on BuzzFeed to promote the Retro Mobile Game Database
Other
Invited Dr. Kishonna Gray, Dr. Gerald Voorhees, and Dr. Maxwell Foxman for a panel on a career in video game studies for my Game Studies course at NC State in April 2024
The CRDM job search committee chose my COM 327 course to evaluate potential assistant professor candidates
I helped collect data for the Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project by having students experience the installation
OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Contributor, Heavy (May 2017 - August 2021)
Wrote over 1,000 articles and gained over 11 million pageviews while working as a contributor for an information and news platform. I wrote timely video game news articles and guides in detailed yet easy to digest formats.
Contributor, Urban Milwaukee (April 2015 - January 2016 (Internship), June 2017 - December 2019 (Freelance))
Wrote local news articles and created photo galleries for a publication based in Milwaukee.
Public Relations Officer, Manfred Olson Planetarium (January 2016 - May 2016 (Internship), May 2016 - August 2017 (Employee))
Designed flyers and wrote press releases and social media posts to promote planetarium events. Also edited video presentations for planetarium events.
MEMBERSHIPS
Phi Beta Kappa
Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA)
Rhetoric Society of America
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars
RELEVANT COURSE WORK
Rhetoric and Digital Media
Communication, Technologies and Pedagogy
Methods and Theories of Media Studies
Videogame Design and Critique
Constructing Immersive Virtual Worlds
History and Theory of Media
Technology
Visual Rhetoric
Communication Networks
Internet and Society
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Society of Professional Journalists:
2018 Mark of Excellence Finalist - Online/Digital Feature Videography for “UWM Desi Student Association Celebrates Holi” [Individual Award]
2017 Mark of Excellence Finalist - Online In-Depth Reporting for “Finding Flint Journalism Immersion Project” [Team Award]
Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association:
2017 Eric Sevareid Award of Merit - Team Multimedia Storytelling for “Finding Flint” [Team Award]
Wisconsin College Media Association:
2017 First Place Award - Public Affairs Reporting for “Finding Flint” [Team Award]
2017 First Place Award - Use of Multimedia for “Finding Flint” [Team Award]
2017 Second Place Award - Website for Media Milwaukee [Team Award]
Milwaukee Press Club Collegiate Winner:
2017 Gold Award - Best Blog for “Water Is Life: Exploring the Stories of Flint, Michigan” [Team Award]
2017 Gold Award - Best Use of Multi-Media for “Finding Flint” [Team Award]
2017 Silver Award - Best Local News or Feature Website for Media Milwaukee [Team Award]
2014 Bronze Award - Best Critical Review for “Rudolph Comes to Life with First Stage” [Individual Award]