Thom Kaczmarek

Biography

I am an award-winning game developer & senior lecturer at the University of the Arts London. A GIC.GD/ZTG Founder, Regional Organiser for Global Game Jam (UK & Ireland), and have been making games since the late 1990s. I have a constructionist and playful approach to teaching and learning.

Consequently, my experience within the games industry is multifaceted. Originating in hobby (indie) game development at a young age, through the creation of Game Industry Conference, the largest event of its type in Central and Eastern Europe, which I grew from a dozen or so to thousands of attendees in a span of a few years, to a well-respected Senior Lecturer in Games Design.

My results are evidenced over the past two decades in nearly a hundred public speaking opportunities and dozens of academic and industry awards received: ranging from personal projects (IGDA 2012 Winner), through industry recognition for my Diversity Work (TIGA Diversity Award 22 & 23) to Internal student awards (yearly Arts Award Winner since 2020). I have a wide and diverse network of national and international contacts with varied membership (Women in Games, Global Game Jam, and Games Research Association of Poland), making me a well-established and well-versed educator.