Shree Durga
Biography
Shree Durga is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Working with her advisor, Kurt Squire, she is currently involved in developing Civilization IV mods and studying modding practices in gaming communities. Her research interests include understanding how players develop expertise in games and game-based learning environments through mod creation in simulation games like Civilization IV while engaging in problem-solving and complex thinking skills. Her overarching goals for the project include studying potential of Civilization IV mods in simulating contemporary global issues involving resource scarcity and use of these models as learning objects that allow players to learn through design. Shree’s professional background is in software development, and she has been a content developer for an online learning club and a software consultant.