Matt Boch

Maxi Boch is an Associate Arts Professor in game design at the NYU Game Center. Maxi is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. Upon completing their thesis, a series of custom-built arcade cabinets housing unique art-oriented video games, they began work at Harmonix Music Systems. From 2007-2010, they worked as a hardware designer, developing the look, feel and functionality of Rock Band’s iconic set of instruments. Maxi then moved from the world of hardware to the arena of game design when they began prototyping what would become Dance Central, utilizing their love for both music and dance. They served as lead designer and project director for the Dance Central franchise through Dance Central 3. Maxi directed a team of over 100 developers in creating Harmonix’s newest innovation in music gaming, Fantasia: Music Evolved, a collaboration with Disney to bring the classic film into the 21st century. Most recently, they contributed product management, design, and code for Beat Sports, a title launching with the new Apple TV. Over the course of their career they’ve occupied a huge variety of roles: from designer and producer to coder, artist, and game writer. They’ve developed a number of games independently, which have been exhibited at the New York MOMA, Indiecade, and more. Maxi has also given a number of critically-focused presentations at events like the Queerness and Games Conference, the Nordic Game Conference, and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. In their spare time, Maxi makes video game remixes through their music project, anigif.