Stephen Ortega is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Graduate Program in History/Archives Management at Simmons College. He has published two books, one on cross-cultural exchange between Venice and Ottoman Empire, and the other a co-authored world history textbook on global history to 1500. His present research look at the ways in which affect relates to conquest and political expansion. He is also interested in how video games can be incorporated into the history classroom, including as motivational tools that can help students understand issues such as historical contingency and imperial control, as well as examining the ways in which video games reflect contemporary attitudes about the past. Stephen has served as organizer of the series of Soccer and Globalization conferences sponsored by WIGH in 2015 (Harvard), 2017 (Athens), and 2018 (Harvard).