Senior Lecturer in Games Programming & Development
Syed Assad Bokhari is a games development and programming lecturer whose teaching focuses on game engines, programming languages, and software development methodologies. Assad’s journey in games began as an audio designer and composer, before evolving into technical implementation and programming. With several years of experience in independent video games, educational titles, and co-development, Assad has contributed to critically acclaimed and award-winning projects.
Bio
Syed Assad Abbas Bokhari is a senior lecturer in Games Development and Programming, specialising in adaptive audio implementation, technical design, external tooling for games, and independent game development. Born in South West London, Assad began his journey in the games industry in 2012, initially working on Flash games as an audio designer and composer. His passion for interactive media and system design led him into audio implementation and, eventually, full-time engineering and game development.
Assad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Games Development from the University of West London and a Master’s in Video Games Audio Design from ThinkSpace Education. In 2015, he co-founded Arrogant Pixel, an independent game studio, and released The Tale of Doris and the Dragon: Episode 1, which received critical acclaim – earning a Frontpage Feature and Daily 3rd Place on Newgrounds (2015), followed by a Bronze Award from Pocket Gamer for its Steam release in 2016.
His more recent work includes Nephilim Resurrection, a project that originated during his postgraduate studies and went on to win Best Audio Design at the GDL Indie Awards in 2024.
Research statement
Assad’s research focuses on accessibility in video games, particularly in development, audio systems, and game audio. It explores how sound design, adaptive techniques, and implementation enhance player experiences. Key areas include spatial audio, dynamic mixing for visually impaired players, and assistive technologies like captioning and sonification.
Research supervision
Assad’s research supervision focuses on the technical implementation and development of game projects using game engine technologies, accessibility, and immersive audio.
- British Computing Society
- Frontpaged (Newgrounds, 2015)
- Daily 3rd Place (Newgrounds, 2015)
- Bronze Award (Pocket Gamer, 2016)
- Best Audio Design (GDL Indie Awards, 2024)