Jon Pledger

Biography

Following my masters I worked as a Senior Artist for two games companies: Evolution Studios and Bizarre Creations. I worked on several internationally recognised next-gen game titles including World Rally Championship 4 and 5; Motorstorm; James Bond Bloodstone; Blur and the BAFTA award-winning Project Gotham Racing. I discovered my passion for teaching while mentoring many of the new artists within the games companies. This led me to become an Associate Lecturer at the University of Derby. I then spent four years teaching on the BA (Hons) Computer Games Modelling and Animation (CGMA) course, progressing to Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader. In this role I oversaw the rise of the NSS overall satisfaction score from 52% up to 95%. I've retained good connections with the games industry, allowing me to invite industry experts to deliver guest lectures and workshops. While on holiday in Cornwall in 2013, I became aware of the new games course starting at Falmouth University. While it was in its infancy then, the course has grown in reputation and is continuing to expand, which led me to apply for a role joining the team in September 2016.

Research Interest

Research interests and expertise My main research interests are in psychology and games, particularly the psychology of visual design in games. I am interested in exploring how humans interact with level design and game art and how that drives internal motivations, needs and decision-making. Currently, I am working on a serious games project with developmental psychologists involving research into neonatal care in a virtual environment and the real life applications of this research