Ian Griffiths
Ian is a lecturer on the Games Art and Design course as well as an Unreal Authorized Instructor.
Ian is a lecturer in the Games Art and Design course and an Unreal Authorized Instructor. His career in education spans from primary schools to universities, where he has developed a broad range of pedagogical skills and approaches to supporting learners. This diverse experience gives him a unique perspective on guiding students throughout their educational journey. Ian is committed to giving back to the next generation, as evidenced by his recent initiatives supporting women in games and leading a weekly code club for a local primary school.
A passionate games developer, Ian has been actively participating in Global Game Jams since 2010. His work includes creating card games in XNA, VR projects in Unity, and various 2D games. He is a strong advocate for clean code and thorough documentation. In addition to game development, Ian has worked on commercial projects, including payment and account management systems and educational websites.
Ian has been using Unreal Engine since the early 2000s and is a dedicated supporter of its development. He has contributed to Virtual Production shoots for the Film and Media departments and collaborated with the Time and Tide Museum to help students create games that represent historical artifacts. He is also enthusiastic about positioning the university as an Unreal Hub in the East of England.
With a keen interest in programming and its role in art and design, Ian has created several short courses in C++ and currently offers a comprehensive Udemy course on Blueprint in Unreal Engine. This course is designed to be an accessible learning resource for students, providing a valuable reference tool.
Ian also leads the Global Game Jam as a site organizer, running the event at the university each year. He has supported multiple studios in securing Tranzfuser funding and has worked with local indie companies, such as Newfangled Games, to conduct large-scale playtesting for their award-winning game, Paper Trail.
Practice
- 2024 Built to Scale – Kingdoms and Clicks Designer and Developer
- 2024 Make your Nan a cup of tea Design and Developer
- 2023 Past Present 3D Virtual Production Developer
- 2023 C++ sort course Instructor
- 2023 Bloom Design and Developer
- 2020 Udemy (Unreal Engine 4: Introduction to Blueprints) Instructor
- 2016 Webapps and File Transfer Systems Tools Backend Development
- 2015 Pipejam World Design and UI
- 2013 Napoleonic Card Game Design and Development
- 2012-13 Evershore Gameplay Design
- 2010 The adventures of an extroverted cubist dinosaur Design
- 2009 Ch34T Design
Other Activities
- Unreal Authorized Instructor 2024 – Present
- Staffordshire University External Examiner 2024 – Present
- Fellow AdvancedHE 2024 – Present
- Employability Enterprise, IPP Project Group Member – 2024
