I am an Associate Professor in Social Sciences, with research interests in interactive entertainment, death and mortality, and spatial sociology. I lecture on video games, social justice and research methods primarily.
I am co-director of the investigate.games research group.
My background is pretty diverse, starting with an undergraduate degree in Politics and Sociology from the University of East Anglia (2005) followed by a Master’s degree in Conflict, Governance and Development from the University of York (2007). I had a few years out to save for my PhD (working as a painter and decorator, then running an unsuccessful record label) before re-joining the University of York to start my PhD in Sociology in 2010. I worked as an Associate Lecturer at York from 2013 until 2016 when I joined York St John University.
Alongside supervising PhD students, I teach across the following modules:
- SSC3001 - Exploring Society
- SOC6011 - Investigating Games
- SSC6001 - Social Sciences Investigation
- YBR7002 - Contemporary Research in Social Sciences
- YBR7003 - Thesis in Social Sciences
My research activity is clustered around popular culture (specifically video games), social/spatial theory and death. I am currently working on a number of methods papers alongside research looking at gaming, fear and failure. My most recent published work has focused on grief and gaming, as well as the educational value of dialogic thinking in games design and development. My most recent book - Gaming and Virtual Sublime - explores the intersection between gaming and transcendental experiences.
Alongside colleagues in my research group, I work on extensive knowledge exchange work underpinning an impact case study - 'Games for Good' - which explores the relationship between games developers, games, arts/cultural institutions and social justice. Our Games Lab with Aesthetica has seen us work with over 150 developers since 2023, and we now collaborate with the National Science and Media Museum to deliver their annual Yorkshire Games Festival to thousands of members of the public each February half-term.
My research has received external grant funding from a variety of funders including Research England (Y-PERN), the Science Museum Group and the Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN).
Recent publications
- Recognised Research Supervisor UKCGE
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
