Michelle Leccese

About Michelle Leccese

I design inclusive, intuitive media and technology experiences that speak to the depth and diversity of human needs, especially in moments of vulnerability, growth, and transformation. With a background in psychology, user research, and trauma-informed design, I specialize in bridging academic insight and industry practice to build systems that heal, connect, and empower.As a PhD candidate at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, my research lies at the intersection of interactive media, trauma recovery, and therapeutic play. My dissertation, Roll for Healing: Exploring Play-Based Therapeutic Interventions Through Tabletop Role-Playing Games for Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders, explores how collaborative storytelling, character embodiment, and game mechanics can support trauma survivors in reclaiming agency, fostering resilience, and processing experience through symbol and story.I approach this work through a mixed-methods lens grounded in media psychology, game studies, narrative persuasion, and trauma theory. Yes, I also roll a lot of dice along the way.I’m a certified Therapeutic Game Master and have published chapters on The Last of Us and Fallout with Geek Therapeutics, analyzing how games help us reckon with memory, loss, and emotional healing. My research has been recognized with a Top Paper award from the International Communication Association (ICA), and I’ve consulted for Twitch and Activision-Blizzard on inclusive design, prosocial behavior, and community wellbeing in digital play spaces.Whether through tabletop worlds, open-world narrative video games, or quiet UX research sessions, I’m drawn to the ways stories help us feel, remember, imagine, and become. I believe play is serious work and when designed with care, it can help us process pain, reclaim narrative, and rebuild hope.Link to lab: https://sites.google.com/view/annenberg-game-lab/home

Experience

1. Associate User Researcher

   Activision

   Feb 2026 — Present · Los Angeles, CA, US

   Games credited on: Modern Warfare 2, Crash Team Rumble, Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty Mobile: Warzone, Black Ops 6, Black Ops 7, Tony Hawk Pro Skater Remake

Education

• University of California, Los Angeles

  Bachelor's Degree

  2015 — 2019

• Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology

  Master of Arts - MA

  2019 — 2020

• USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

  2022

• USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

  Master of Arts - MA

  2022 — 2025