Digital Arts students at West Nottinghamshire College enjoyed a special end-of-term experience before Christmas, playing an online demo of Tidal Rush, a game created by a former student.
Students learnt about James' success after leaving West Notts.
The session gave current media and digital arts students the opportunity to explore a professional game developed by former student James Vincent Marshall, who is now a successful game developer and has gone on to achieve international success within the games industry.
Tidal Rush is the first title from James’s current studio, Shiny Dynamics, founded two years ago with the ambition of building the “Shinyverse” – a growing world of interconnected games and stories. The game is described as a fast-paced, characterful on-water kart racer that is easy to learn but challenging to master, featuring competitive racing across a wide range of vibrant locations.
The game was trialled by digital media students.
James studied digital arts at the Chesterfield Road campus in 2007 before progressing to Teesside University, where he secured a triple distinction. After university, he began freelancing before landing an animator role at London-based start-up Improbable, where he was the ninth employee and witnessed the company grow to more than 150 staff.
James and his team of creatives.
He has since co-founded another studio, PhiGames, where he worked on the critically acclaimed indie title Recompile, which was released on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam – an achievement he still counts among his proudest career moments.
Although James was unable to attend the session in person, he provided students with a presentation about his career journey, development process, and advice for breaking into the industry. His former teacher, Brian Wilson, who has stayed in contact with James over the years, hosted the session and shared his pride in his former student’s achievements.
Brian said: “James is a fantastic example of what our students can achieve with talent, determination and a willingness to keep learning. We’ve always stayed in touch, and it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to share his journey with our current students. Experiences like this show the strength of the bond we build with our learners and the real opportunities that can come from studying creative digital subjects here.”
The students playing the demo game together.
James currently specialises in animation and visual effects, creating everything from character movement and digital skeletons to explosive effects, water splashes and shader networks used in modern games. Reflecting on his journey, he encourages students to seek guidance and remain curious.
James said: “My best advice to students is to find a good mentor and remember to never stop learning.”
The session provided an inspiring real-world insight into the games industry and highlighted how the college continues to support students long after they leave, celebrating their successes and sharing them with the next generation of creatives.
James Marshall.