Prof. Dr. J. Martin teaches game design at the Mediadesign Hochschule in Düsseldorf, Germany. He received his M.A. in English & American Studies, Language History & Medieval Literature, and German Philology in 1999 and his Ph.D. in American Studies in 2009, with additional studies in Modern Japan and Philosophy in between. From 2006 to 2010, he co-founded and co-managed the independent game developer studio Linking People Ltd., Hong Kong.
He teaches game design methodologies with a focus on independent & innovative game design, dramatic structure, and social and ethical dimensions of game narratives, player behavior, and game interactions. His research explores the dynamics of emotion, motivation, and memory in game-based learning. He is a board member of the German Writers Guild FDA (NRW chapter) and keynote speaker and consultant in game-related matters for companies, institutions, and political parties as, e.g., Microsoft, Kunstsammlung NRW, or Alliance 90/The Greens.