Games for good: lecturer honoured for inspiring next-gen changemakers
CQUniversity Lecturer in Digital Media, Jim Picton, has been recognised with a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Best Practice in Learning and Teaching for his innovative approach to teaching game design and development.
Jim’s award celebrates a constructivist, industry-aligned curriculum that empowers students to design games with purpose - games that don’t just entertain but also challenge players to think about real-world issues.
His teaching spans two interconnected units - Game Design and Game Development - where students from the Bachelor of Digital Media and Bachelor of Information Technology work side-by-side to bring ideas to life.
Mr Picton said that in the units, students design individual game prototypes around social and environmental challenges inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG’s).
“They then form collaborative teams to expand and refine selected concepts, with the most promising ideas chosen during a class event known as Crunch Week,” Mr Picton explained.
“The results are impressive - games exploring topics such as mental health, accessibility, education and climate change - all showcased through the University’s Games for Social Good collection.”
Head of Digital Media, Associate Professor Steve Pace said bringing together students from completely different disciplines to work as real-world creative teams was what made Mr Picton’s approach so special.
“It’s an authentic, industry-style learning experience that equips students with technical, creative and collaborative skills,” Assoc Prof Pace said.
Bachelor of IT student Mark Ashkenazi praised Mr Picton for his teaching, saying his experience was transformational.
“Both units were well-structured and suited for programmers and visual artists,” Mark said.
“They helped me shape my mindset as a game developer - learning how to communicate ideas strategically and work effectively in diverse teams. Our projects promoted cultural diversity, creativity and social good through play.”
One of Mark’s solo projects, Regrowth, explored ways to manage social anxiety through interactive storytelling, while his team-developed game Wisdom highlighted the importance of education access and its positive impact on society.
Mr Picton’s framework was built around four pillars of practice including industry modelling, cross-disciplinary teamwork, experiential learning, and real-world problem solving, and has led to outstanding student satisfaction, engagement and retention outcomes.
Student satisfaction in his units has climbed from 66 per cent in 2016 to 100 per cent in 2024–25, while attrition has dropped to almost zero.
CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Nick Klomp congratulated Mr Picton on his award, recognising his “constructivist, industry-aligned approach to game design that builds skills, confidence and changemaker mindsets.”
For Mr Picton though, the success of the program lies in the sense of purpose it instils in students.
“Games have the power to make a difference,” he said.
“When our Digital Media and IT students come together to design for social good, they’re not just learning how to build games - they’re learning how to create change.”
Visit CQUniversity’s Bachelor of Digital Media page to learn more about the course or apply to study.
