I am a Lecturer in Games Design that specialises in Level Design and User Interfaces. I primarily teach sessions within Unreal Engine, but also have experience with Games Marketing, Social Media, Journalism, and Community Management.
I am a former Games Journalist with over a decade of experience covering gaming content, such as news, reviews, and features. Most of my time as a journalist was spent covering Nintendo games, but I have branched out into other areas, most notably PlayStation. Outside of teaching, I am currently studying a PhD, with a focus on the adaptation of video game mechanics over to other forms of media, such as Film and Television.
Professional memberships and activities
Teaching Fellow FHEA Unreal Authorised Instructor - Silver
Academic qualifications
- MA Education - University of Staffordshire PGDip in Higher Education - University of Staffordshire
- BA (Hons) in Games Journalism & PR - University of Staffordshire
- Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production (Games Design) - Stoke-On-Trent College
Expertise
- Games Design
- Level Design
- UI Design
- Narrative Writing
- Games Journalism
- Games Media Public Relations
- Community Management
- Research
- Games Production
Research interests
- Video Game Adaptations
- Affordance Narratives
- Games Media
Teaching
- User Interface Design and Implementation
- Introduction to Games Design
- Mechanics
- Prototyping
- Multiplayer Level Design
- Project Management for Games Design
- Experimental Level Design
- Introduction to Collaborative Enterprise Systems
- Design for Games
Publications
Ditchfield, J. (2022) What it takes to be a Zelda: Breath of the Wild World Record Speedrunner, Nintendo Life. Available at: https://www.nintendolife.com/features/what-it-takes-to-be-a-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-world-record-speedrunner (Accessed: 09 June 2023).