NEWS
NEWS
Explore my latest blog posts and stay updated with recent developments in my career below:
NWU Technology Transfer Office Promo Video Feature
I was featured in the 2025 NWU Technology Transfer promo video.
Don’t Be McLovin: Identity, Authenticity, & Portfolio Power
In this CTL-hosted session, I shared how to craft an authentic, award-ready teaching portfolio. Avoid the trap of inauthenticity and let your professional identity shine—warts, wisdom, and all.
BELGIUM CAMPUS MASTERCLASS: Minds Made Manifest - IP in Practice
I presented a session on intellectual property for Belgium Campus, using real examples from my own work to show how IP works in South African academia. We covered everything from patents and copyright to institutional policy and student rights.
Cardboard Crack - Magic: The Addicting
I was around eight years old when I first fell under Magic: The Gathering’s spell. Nearly thirty years later, I’m still under it. This essay explores my lifelong relationship with Magic—how it shaped me, thrilled me, and quietly made me an addict.
RSG Radio Feature (11 June 2025)
“Arcademia isn’t just about games—it’s about global co-creation,” says Dr Lance Bunt in his RSG interview. This initiative connects South African and UK students through game jams, research, and a shared mission: turning learning into legacy.
NWU students shine in 48-hour Arcademia Game Jam
NWU students excelled in the 48-hour Arcademia Global Game Jam, earning top honours with IP Conflict, a fast-paced shooter praised for its polish and creativity. The jam fostered global collaboration, hands-on learning, and lasting connections through the power of play.
NWU & University of Lincoln bring game-based learning to life with Arcademia
NWU and the University of Lincoln have joined forces to launch Arcademia in South Africa — a game-based learning initiative featuring student-designed games on custom arcade cabinets. The project promotes creativity, collaboration, and inclusive digital education across all NWU campuses.
The Longing That Binds Us: Conatus, Belonging, & the Sacred
What do people actually want? It isn’t wealth. Not truly. Nor fame or leisure. These are shadows cast by a deeper yearning—to belong, to matter, to be. We are not creatures of contentment; we are creatures of conatus: the inner drive to persist, to strive, to shape a life that is unmistakably ours. In a world of hollow pleasures and flickering idols, what we seek is not comfort but meaning—not distraction but home.
Head Games: Key Concepts & Distinctions in Learning Through Play
In the ever-expanding landscape of educational innovation, terms like game-based learning, gamification, and serious games are often used interchangeably—yet each carries distinct pedagogical implications. This article disentangles eight key concepts in game-enhanced learning, offering clear definitions, critiques, and use cases across K–12, higher education, corporate training, and healthcare. From immersive XR experiences to persuasive and educational games, it calls for intentional, well-aligned design that respects both learner context and instructional goals. Play, it argues, is not a gimmick—it’s a powerful, rigorous vehicle for meaningful learning when thoughtfully applied.
When the Loot Lies: Dark Design Patterns in ARPGs
In the evolving landscape of Action Role-Playing Games, not all design serves the player. Diablo IV exemplifies how modern ARPGs use dark design patterns—loot systems that mimic slot machines, boss fights padded for engagement metrics, visual clutter that obscures learning, and seasonal resets that exploit FOMO. These systems don’t empower; they entrap. This critique exposes how such mechanics mirror broader digital ecosystems built on attention extraction. In response, it calls for a shift toward human-centred design—one that respects player agency, fosters clarity, and prioritises meaningful engagement over compulsive loops.
Systems Dreaming in Colour: AI Co-Creation & the Redistribution of Thought
The Cuco animation project reveals how AI reshapes creativity — not by replacing artists, but by redistributing cognitive effort. By offloading repetitive tasks, artists focused on deeper storytelling, spatial design, and aesthetic intent. Co-creation with AI reframes creativity itself: a distributed, iterative process where thought extends beyond the mind into systems, tools, and dynamic collaboration.
When Matter Thinks: Consciousness, Sentience, and the Fire Within
What if consciousness is not sacred, but systemic? Not magical, but mechanical? In this philosophical exploration, I unpack consciousness through a materialist lens — tracing its emergence from qualia to ego, and extending the implications to artificial minds, education, and ethics. As AI systems grow more complex and students learn alongside them, we must confront not only what these systems do, but what they mean — and what we risk forgetting if we stop expecting depth, humility, and feeling from ourselves. Consciousness, in all its richness, is not a gift from elsewhere. It is matter, aware of itself. And that is miracle enough.
Prosper x Oakmeade Community Project (2025)
Our team recently visited Oakmeade Prep and Academy to launch a dynamic three-phase community collaboration featuring our educational card game, Prosper. Teachers enthusiastically play-tested the base version, kicking off a project that explores physical and digital game-based learning, culminating in the creation of a tailored Open Educational Resource.
TOP INVENTOR AWARD (2024)
I’m honoured to receive the Top Inventor Award at the 2024 NWU Excellence Awards! My wife, Robyn, accepted on my behalf as I visited the University of Lincoln. Proud to share this accolade with my brother, Prof. Byron Bunt. Our game-based learning journey has only begun!