Javon "Jaystonee" Goard

Researcher. Speaker. Games Enthusiast.

Javon “Jaystonee” Goard obtained a B.A. in sociology with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park (2016), and his M.S. in informatics from Indiana University, Bloomington (2018). Currently, Goard is a doctoral student within the School of Education at The Johns Hopkins University. Goard’s research takes an interdisciplinary approach in studying aspects of video game culture by working in the domains of sociology, informatics, and education. His current work focuses on the intersections of Black Joy and gaming culture. His blog, jstonee.wordpress.com, bridges the gap between academic discourse and personal anecdotes, discussing a wide range of topics from gender, race, and economics as they relate to digital spaces. Goard was the co-host and co-creator with two other UMD alum for the “My Gaming Academia” podcast which is focused on discussing psychological and sociological topics as they relate to videogames. Featured on the podcast has been guests ranging from Twitch streamers, game developers, and games scholars. Episodes are available on Spotify. Goard is an advocate of public scholarship and he “goes where the gamers are”, thus he attends both academic conferences and anime/comic book conventions. which include: Music and Gaming Education Symposium, BlerDCon, Balticon, Indiana Comic Con, Indy PopCon, and SXSW 2023.

“[I] see the value of not only critiquing [videogames], but also helping shape for the better peoples’ gaming experience.” – Episode 24, My Gaming Academia