The Columns » W&L Students Accepted for Publication on the Gaming and Technology Conference » Washington and Lee University

By Lily Caldwell
May 21, 2026

Washington and Lee University college students Trey Custodio ’26 and Sanjog Basnet ’27 lately co-authored a paper alongside Liz Matthews, affiliate professor of pc science, titled “Exploring User Demographics for Research on Video Games.” The paper was accepted for publication on the Gaming and Technology Conference, a global convention targeting sport and leisure applied sciences.

Custodio and Basnet’s analysis centered on designing a survey centered round gaming preferences and participant conduct. Their aim was to establish significant and constant patterns that would assist researchers higher group and classify players in future analysis containing video video games. Custodio and Basnet started the muse for a non-linear classification system pushed by capturing which enjoyment elements drive the participant to play video games equivalent to sport stream, engagement or exterior motivating elements.

“Sanjog and Trey focused on the preliminary design of the questionnaire based on current established enjoyment factors, refining of the questionnaire with my guidance, distribution of the questionnaire, collection, verification and sanitization of the data, preliminary analysis of the data and drafting the publication,” mentioned Matthews.

Custodio and Basnet performed the analysis underneath Matthews as Summer Research Scholars in 2025.

“It was my first experience conducting research at this scale, so it was both exciting and a little intimidating at first, especially since the topic was something we were genuinely passionate about,” mentioned Basnet, a computer science and cognitive and behavioral science double main from Kathmandu, Nepal. “There were a lot of small details and processes that were completely new to me, but it ended up being an incredibly valuable learning experience.”

The Gaming and Technology Conference, at which Matthews will current their work, will probably be held July 25-27 in Valencia, Spain. The convention goals to deliver collectively analysis and apply from artistic, social and enterprise practitioners and researchers within the subject of sport and leisure applied sciences. The focus of this yr’s convention is on design, improvement and analysis of video games, leisure applied sciences and the character of play.

“Having our research accepted for publication means a great deal to us,” mentioned Basnet. “For anyone conducting research they genuinely care about, publication is both validating and motivating. It feels rewarding to know that our work is being recognized and that we now have the opportunity to share it with a wider audience.”

Custodio is a pc science main from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is a pc science educating assistant and technical assistant for the Center of International Education. Custodio is a four-year member of the wrestling group and has acquired 5 W&L scholar-athlete recognitions and two ODAC All-Academic Team honors.

Basnet is a pc science educating assistant and works within the Lenfest Center for the Arts as a home director and manufacturing assistant. In the long run, he hopes to pursue a subject on the intersection of pc science, cognitive and behavioral science and Japanese research, notably in areas equivalent to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), UX improvement and pc ethics.

Matthews has been a member of the W&L school since 2018. Before W&L, she taught on the University of Florida and Clemson University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in pc science from Western Washington University, a Master of Science in pc science from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in human-centered computing from the University of Florida.

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