Hi, I’m Alina — an illustrator, game artist, game designer, and researcher. I currently teach at University of the Arts London and Arts University Bournemouth, where I specialise in game-based learning, interactive media, and the intersections between art, ethics, and play. PgCert I see as an opportunity to reflect on my teaching and creative practice.
My background is quite interdisciplinary: I hold degrees in Graphic Art, Illustration, Cultural and Social Pedagogy, and a PhD in Game Design. My doctoral work explored cognition in games through the lens of my board game Exodus, and I continue to be fascinated by how games can act as vessels for thought, empathy, learning, and transformation.
I design and research serious games, games for social change, and games as artistic and educational tools. Much of my creative and academic practice revolves around how we tell stories — visually, systemically, and playfully — to make sense of the world and help others do the same. A recent example of this is the bibliographical micro-LARP In Our Shoes, created in response to the refugee crisis, which aimed to foster empathy through embodied role-play.
As an educator, I’m always searching for ways to make learning more inclusive, interdisciplinary, and humane. I see my role not just as someone who imparts knowledge, but as a facilitator who helps students connect their own passions, identities, and lived experiences with their creative outputs. I’m particularly drawn to dialogic and reflective pedagogies — approaches that encourage students to explore who they are through what they make.
Joining the PgCert feels like an important commitment — a space to rethink my approach to feedback, inclusion, assessment, and care. I’m especially looking forward to learning from other colleagues across disciplines and exploring how to continue building safe, playful, and intellectually rich classrooms. I also hope to reflect more deeply on the ethics of teaching in creative education, especially in an era of rapid technological change and social pressure.
This course is both a professional investment and a personal one. As someone who bridges industry, academia, and activism, I’m always trying to stay grounded in purpose. I want to nurture not just technically proficient artists or designers, but emotionally aware, ethically minded human beings. Here’s to rethinking, unlearning, and growing — together.