Second year student Josh Sykes has launched a new podcast exploring the narratives of video games.
Created as part of his work studying English Literature at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), the podcast offers listeners the chance to join Josh as he, and guests, discuss how settings and stories are shaped along with how games can offer explorations of topics such as war and mental health.
Despite having no previous experience creating podcasts Josh explains what drew him to the project:
“The English@Work module presented a unique opportunity to explore my own interests and hobbies whilst at the same time allowing me to discover how these interests can be applied to workplace scenarios. For me, I have a deep interest in the world of videogames including the way settings and stories are shaped to the way in which games can engage with the player through explorations of topics such as war and mental health. Thus, through the English@Work module, I could explore these topics in a greater detail whilst also illustrating how I can take the topic of videogames and apply it to any workplace situation.
At the start of this project I was new to the world of podcast and audio production but through the progression of it I was able to develop a good level of knowledge in editing and recording of audio files whilst also developing a critical eye for what was best placed in the podcast. The experience of creating the podcast has been enjoyable and I am pleased with the final outcome and the feedback received has been positive, but I am also pleased that I chose to do the podcast project as it allowed me to meet a variety of people from experts on videogames to audio professionals as well as develop a variety of skills that I did not possess at the start of the project.”
English@Work is a second-year module that focuses specifically on employability and opportunities to apply subject-specific skills and knowledge and develop an enhanced awareness of the transferability of those skills through project-based learning. In partnership with BG Futures team, and this module embeds students’ understanding of their transferable communication skills and information literacies in specific, employability contexts.
Dr Claudia Capancioni, Programme Leader for English at BGU, praised both Josh and his peers for how they have embraced their projects despite wider international complications:
“The sudden and unprecedented circumstances caused by Covid-19 had an immediate impact on the projects our students worked on this academic year but our students' reaction and resilience have given us fantastic stories of achievement.
Colleagues from across BGU who have worked with the students, including our BG Futures team and Nikki Smith, Lecturer in Business, have been incredibly impressed with their efforts and particularly how successfully they have adapted and transformed their projects demonstrating incredible resourcefulness, and creativity.”
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