As the Course Director for the Games Design area of courses within the Staffordshire Games Institute (SGI) at, David is responsible for a team of award-winning academics and the student experience of a large cohort of games design students, across three cutting-edge, varied courses.
David leads Teaching and Learning within SGI, driving a range of successful initiatives that have strengthened student learning, experience and retention. He brings a dynamic approach to education, combining innovative, industry informed methods with an engaging and inspiring teaching style. His commitment to excellence in higher education has been recognised nationally, culminating in the award of a National Teaching Fellowship in 2025.
David’s game projects are widely used as teaching tools across the department and are highly valued by students. They have also formed the basis of several award winning games created by SGI staff and student teams, including “Mech Head,” which won the TIGA Industry Award for Best Arcade Game in 2022.
Professional memberships and activities
Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Academic qualifications
- Master of Science (MSc): Computer Games Design - 2009. Staffordshire University, Stoke-On-Trent
- Post Graduate Certificate in Higher and Professional Education (PGCHPE) - 2013. Staffordshire University, Stoke-On-Trent
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) with honours: Interactive Entertainment Technology – 2:1 (Upper Second Class) – 2004. Staffordshire University, Stoke-On-Trent
- ILM Level 5 in Coaching and Mentoring – 2014. Staffordshire University, Stoke-On-Trent
Expertise
- Games design
- Technical design and prototyping
- Teaching and learning
- Curriculum design
- Academic leadership and team management
- Games research
Research interests
- Games design pedagogy
- Higher education pedagogy
Teaching
David's teaching encompasses a range of games design subjects:
- Game design principles
- Game engine implementation
- Collaborative group projects
- Project and Post-graduate supervision
Publications
David James, Christopher Headleand – Games Design Frameworks: A Novel Approach for Games Design Pedagogy. Vol. 18 No. 1 (2024): Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Games Based Learning, 2024.
David James – Gamifying Higher Education. Education Transformation: Computer Science and Games Design & Programming, Erasmus ELEGANT project - Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Jordan, December 2022.
David James, Mike Beardwood, Prof. Chris Headleand – Engaging Games Design Students in Industry Readiness with Games Frameworks. RAISE Conference – University of Lincoln, September 2022.
David James – The Games Jam as a Catalyst for Games Design Education. Communities and Communication – Diverse Voices 2022, Staffordshire University, May 2022.
Dr Bobbie Fletcher, David James - Grassroots Esports Players: Improving Esports Cognitive Skills Through Incentivising Physical Exercise. Serious Games: Joint International Conference, JCSG 2021, Jan 2022.
David James, Dr Bobbie Fletcher, Shaheena Saeed, Will Roberts – Research into the physical activity attitudes and behaviours of young gamers. Youth Sport Trust Conference, Coventry, Feb 2020.
David James – Information Literacy in New University Starters. Innovative Practice in Higher Education, Vol. 1 No. 3 2014.