Yannick Rochat

Yannick Rochat is an Assistant Professor of Software and Hardware Studies of Video Games and their Digital Traces in the Section of Language and Information Sciences at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). He joined UNIL on August 1, 2021, and holds a Master’s in Mathematics (EPFL, 2007) and a PhD in Mathematics applied to Human and Social Sciences (UNIL, 2014). His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, particularly in digital humanities and media archaeology.

Rochat co-founded the UNIL-EPFL GameLab in 2016, focusing on video game studies, preservation projects like Pixelvetica, and research-creation initiatives such as Four Apartments and a Confinement. He collaborates with institutions like the Swiss National Museum and the Canton of Vaud, serving on juries for cultural funding and interactive media grants. His research spans video game heritage, platform studies, and the interplay between gaming and cultural history.

Rochat has secured SNSF funding for projects integrating video games into post-compulsory education and co-leads initiatives to document Swiss video game history, particularly through analysis of Smaky microcomputing platforms and 1980s gaming archives. His work bridges academic research with public engagement through exhibitions, conferences, and cross-institutional partnerships.