Heather Bishop Email and Phone Number

As a fresh-faced graduate in 2018, I was eagerly working with Game Anglia to coordinate an Indie Showcase as part of the Game Anglia 2018 Conference. Supporting independent developers to showcase their games to the public through a one-day event was the most incredible experience. I realised that I wanted to use games to help people, the way they had helped me at difficult junctures of life. This was where my teaching journey began. Through my experience, I was fortunate enough to be employed as a Game Design Lecturer in a fledging degree course. Through the support of compassionate, skilled and dedicated collegues I have been integral in building and executing a diverse course that seeks to bridge the gap between academic and practical skills in an industry-inspired, project focused way.I think this is what makes me an interesting lecturer. My path has not been traditional, nor is the way I see game design. Games design is fundamentally about creating stimulus honed for a specific emotional experience, and curriculum design are quite similar in many ways. My desire to make games to help people has led me to a curriculum design that I believe is unusual but will be effective in supporting students to build the skills and knowledge to join the games industry. It has been a wilder, more challenging, more rewarding professional experience than I could ever have anticipated. I haven't given up on games design, of course, and frequently participate in game jams, which are available for view on my portfolio.