Footwear plays an important role in defining a video-game character’s persona and capability. Such is the case with games like "Bomb Rush Cyperfunk," "Sonic Riders," "Mario Wonder," "Spider-Man," and 2K basketball installments. For gamer/designer Derrick Banks, Jr.—a Drexel University undergraduate, former STAR Scholar, and Sneaker Lab researcher—sneaker design is critical to how players perceive a character and enjoy the game. Host Dr. Melinda Lewis joins Banks to step into the complexity of footwear, 3-D modeling, and the overarching power of video games and the "Spider-Verse."

"Pop, the Question" is a production of Marketing & Media in Pennoni Honors College at Drexel University.

Recorded October 26, 2023 in 155 Bentley Hall, Pennoni Honors College, Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA, USA).

Featured Guest: Derrick Banks, Jr. (Undergraduate Student, Game Design & Production, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University)

Host and Producer: Melinda Lewis, PhD (Director of Strategy)

Dean: Paula Marantz Cohen, PhD

Executive Producer: Erica Levi Zelinger (Director, Marketing & Media)

Producer: Brian Kantorek (Associate Director, Marketing & Media)

Research and Script: Melinda Lewis, PhD

Audio Engineering and Editing: Brian Kantorek

Original Theme Music: Brian Kantorek

Production Assistance: Noah Levine and Sadie Subedi

Social Media Outreach: Ka’Neisha Davis

Graphic Design: Estelle Guillot

Logo Design: Michal Anderson

Original Artwork and Music: Derrick Banks, Jr.

Additional Voiceover: Malia Lewis

The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Drexel University or Pennoni Honors College.

To learn more about the work of Derrick Banks, Jr., visit youtube.com/@S4MUR0TTS_FL0W.

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