My work is driven by a passion for innovation and engagement. My research focuses on the political and cultural impacts of emerging technologies, and my teaching harnesses the power of innovative pedagogy to make learning enjoyable, understandable, and rewarding. I joined Macquarie in 2011, after teaching at Sydney University and UNSW. In my time at Macquarie I have integrated my research into my teaching by radically gamifying my units. I use video game mechanics: points, rewards, feedback, and social connection, to motivate and assist my students’ learning. This work has been recognised with Departmental, Faculty and University Teaching awards and in 2016 I received an Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. In that same year I was an Optus Future Maker Grant Winner, with my gamification project Game Change receiving full funding. Game Change is a gamification platform designed to help disadvantaged and vulnerable youth navigate the challenges of education.

At Macquarie I have taught a variety of undergraduate units covering digital media and video gaming and I am an experienced post-graduate supervisor. I have served as program director for the Bachelor of Arts: Games and Interactivity major, and was on the Macquarie University International College executive. I offer gamification consulting services, where I help businesses improve staff satisfaction, and client engagement through the use of game mechanics and logics.

My research focuses on how video games teach people. I look at this both within and outside the boundaries of games themselves. Within games, I explore how game systems train players to perform, and the politics contexts and impacts of these processes. Outside of games, I am interested in how education institutions, businesses, government agencies, etc. can better engage their audience/clients. I look at what lessons can be learned from video gaming, and how these lessons can be applied. My research project The Gamification of Higher Education Teaching Practices analysed the effectiveness of different models of gamification in the university classroom environment. From this research I formulated new frameworks for conceptualising gamification, and developed Game Change my gamification platform designed to help school and university teachers better engage students through simple gamification techniques. I have been published in the top journals in my field, and was an invited guest editor of Games and Culture in 2017.

Research Areas

• Video Games
• Gamification
• Serious Games
• Play
• Digital Culture

I currently teach three undergraduate digital media and video gaming units:

• MAS111/COMP111: Introduction to Video Games
• MAS240: Cybercultures
• MECO329: Critical Game Studies
• From 2012 to 2016 I taught MAS110: Introduction to Digital Media