NicoValdiviaHennig
Award-winning game designer and cultural studies researcher. Postdoctoral Scholar in Critical Design at the University of Chicago.
Co-founder of Niebla Games, with over a decade of experience in game design. My research focuses on Game Design, Game Production, and Indigenous Game Production in Latin America / Abya Yala.
Co-Director
California Games and Interactive Media Conference 2026
November 5, remoteNovember 6, in person at UC Riverside
Connecting game scholars and makers across the University of California and beyond. I co-direct the conference with Ilya Brookwell and lead the creative direction of its playable program, where you can explore Riverside and play Astral Shot: Joshua Tree Nights.
Selected Work
Dreamhealer
Dreamhealer is a single-player sanctuary management and roguelite card game, in which you play as a young healer (Curandera) to carry out spiritual journeys to heal her community through dreams.
Causa, Voices of the Dusk
Causa, Voices of the Dusk is a F2P collectible card game for PC, which stands out for its unique game mechanics, bringing a fresh new take into its genre.
Hawk and Puma
Hawk and Puma is a critically acclaimed minimalist game that pays tribute to Guaman Poma, the indigenous chronicler of the Andes. Through a research-creation process, this game reimagines Guaman’s journey, exploring themes of racism, sovereignty, and religion from decolonial aesthetics and Andean-inspired music.
Andean Futures
A community-based research-creation project with the youth of Pisac, Peru, and the Kusi Kawsay Andean Association, using open-source game-making tools.
Bio
Nico Valdivia Hennig (he/they) is an award-winning game designer and cultural studies researcher with over a decade of experience in game design. Nico is a Postdoctoral Scholar in Critical Design at the University of Chicago, with support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation. They have a PhD in Spanish with a Designated Emphasis in Speculative Fiction & Cultures of Science, by the University of California, Riverside.
His research focuses on Game Design, Game Production, and Indigenous Game Production in Latin America/Abya Yala. Nico co-founded Niebla Games, a studio that has released board and video games for PC and mobile platforms. Together with his studio, Nico was awarded the Draknek New Voices Grant 2025 for Innovative Puzzle Design, the Google Indie Games Fund 2025, and was part of Google’s Indie Games Accelerator in 2022. Other recognitions include Best Game Design at EVA 2019 in Córdoba, Argentina, and nominations for the Explorer Award at A MAZE./Berlin 2024 and for Best Social Matters Game and Best Diversity Game at BIG Festival/Gamescom Latam 2024 in São Paulo.
Nico has taught game design and courses on games and culture in Chile and California. He also co-founded Río Junto Art Collective, a Latin American cultural exchange hub, and the Ludocrítica Network for Critical Game Research in Chile. Recently, Nico received the Barricelli Award for Interdisciplinary Research Dissertation and became a fellow-in-residence of the Speculative Play and Just Futurities program at Indiana University, Indianapolis, supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Greetings
Having grown up in the remote landscapes of Chilean Patagonia and the vibrant region of Valparaíso, I’ve always been driven by exploration, creativity, and a commitment to decentralization.
My work is fueled by a passion for social justice, collaborative experimentation, and playful design. I believe that games are a powerful medium for change, creativity, and play itself. My passion lies in collaborating with others, creating spaces for diverse narratives, and empowering people to push boundaries. I’m constantly seeking new ways to challenge preconceptions, reimagine futures, and engage communities through ludic action and game design.
Welcome to my site!
Latest News
California Games and Interactive Media Conference 2026
Nico co-directs, with Ilya Brookwell, the California Games and Interactive Media Conference, connecting game scholars and makers across the University of California and beyond. November 5 remote, November 6 in person at UC Riverside, with a playable program.
More information
Nico joined the University of Chicago as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Critical Design
Nico joined the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago as a Postdoctoral Scholar in Critical Design, with the support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation. In this role, he will contribute to research and creative projects at the intersection of game studies, critical design, and collaborative game-making.
More information
Nico gave a talk at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá
Nico gave a talk at Universidad de los Andes on making video games from, in, and for Latin America. The talk explored the intersections of game creation with culture, research, design, community collaboration, and the critical possibilities of the medium. The event was hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Bogotá, Colombia, on July 14, 2026.
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Nico served as Juror for the ICIDS 2025 Art Exhibition
The ICIDS 2025 Art Exhibition invited artists to submit interactive digital artworks that explored the theme of Kaleidoscopic Machines in an era of accelerated entanglements. The exhibition took place in Malta from 1 to 5 December 2025, as part of the 18th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS).
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Talk at the Archives, Memory, and Preservation Lab at University of California, Santa Barbara
The Archives, Memory, and Preservation Lab (AMPL) at the Center for Latin American and Iberian Research hosted Nico for a talk entitled “Chronicles & Pixels: Playful Archives, Research-Creation & Resonating Histories in Hawk & Puma”, about the making of Hawk & Puma, a minimalist game based on the First New Chronicle and Good Government, the illustrated petition by the Andean chronicler Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala, sent to Philip III of Spain around 1615.
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Niebla Games Selected for Google Play Indie Games Fund Latin America 2025
Niebla Games, the Chilean indie studio co-founded by Nico Valdivia Hennig & Maureen Berho, has been selected as one of the ten studios to receive support from the Google Play Indie Games Fund Latin America 2025 program, with its upcoming project Causa, Voices of the Dusk. The initiative provides equity-free funding ranging from USD 150,000 to 200,000 per studio, along with hands-on support from Google Play.
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Keynote at UNAM’s “Semana del Videojuego”
A keynote talk at the Semana del Videojuego, organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), on the practice of research-creation in Latin America, focusing on Hawk and Puma and spotlighting diverse experiences in the region, from Chile and Argentina to Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala.
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Latest Events & Presentations
My Teams
Niebla Games
Niebla Games is a game development company based in Valparaíso, Chile. Founded in 2013, we’re an enthusiastic team committed to creating fun and easy-to-play original games for different platforms and audiences. Our mission is to provide playful and aesthetic experiences through original games that stand out for their artistic value and originality.
Río Junto, Art Collective
Río Junto is an interdisciplinary art collective based in Southern California, dedicated to fostering Latin American cultural exchange. Rooted in Riverside, California, our mission is to create a space for cultural outreach, including documentary screenings, virtual reality exhibitions, musical performances, cultural experiences, and playful initiatives.
Ludocrítica
Ludocrítica is a network of scholars, creators, and activists in Chile and Latin America, dedicated to critical research, creation, and mobilization in the field of play and games. Their interdisciplinary platform fosters respectful, open dialogue while embracing diversity and innovation.
Education
- 2026Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies with Designated Emphasis on Speculative Fiction and Cultures of Science University of California, Riverside. Dissertation: “From Absence to Co-Creation: Production, Collaboration, and Research-Creation in Indigenous Video Games across Latin America / Abya Yala”. Committee: Carlos Varón (Co-Chair), Freya Schiwy (Co-Chair), James Tobias, Ilya Brookwell, and Iván Aguirre.
- 2022MA, Hispanic Studies University of California, Riverside. Hispanic Studies Department.
- 2012BA, Psychology Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. College of Philosophy and Education.
Work Experience
- 2026–Postdoctoral Scholar in Critical Design Department of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago, with the support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation.
- 2013–Co-Founder & Creative Director, Niebla Games, Chile Co-Founder, Creative Director, and Lead Game Designer at Niebla Games, an Indie Game Development Studio based in Valparaíso, Chile. Board Games and Video Games Production and Development.
- 2020–26Teaching Assistant, University of California, Riverside Teaching Assistant for Spanish Language & Culture courses at UCR, including grading, conducting discussion sessions, and providing individualized student support.
- 2017–20Lecturer of Gameplay & Games and Culture, Arcos, Viña del Mar, Chile Lecturer of Game Design, Games & Culture, Gamification, and Video Game History for the Game Dev Program at ARCOS, Professional Institute, now part of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
- 2017–19Lecturer of Game Design, Narrative, & Video Games History, UNIACC, Santiago, Chile Lecturer for the Game Dev Program at Universidad de las Artes, Ciencias y Comunicación. Led the initiative to create a game library within the university’s library, including the acquisition of digital titles.
