Gaming Guru
Lee, 43, co-founder and co-director of Drexel’s renowned video-game design program,* plans to grow Philly into the Silicon Valley of gaming—not just by training future designers (“I tell freshmen that gaming is an ideal entry point into entrepreneurship”), but also by working with state legislators to give economic incentives to gaming companies. “It’s a billion-dollar industry,” he says. “I’m very keen on creating a video-game company within Drexel, affiliated with the design program. Philly is a great place for this kind of initiative. Drexel has a gaming program. Penn has an excellent computer-design program. Most communities don’t have this foundation to build from. We need to harness and grow it, and we’re in the process of doing that now.”
*In July, Lee’s design students won first place at Microsoft’s prestigious Imagine Cup.