Jack Lowe

Narrative Designer and Geographer

I craft narrative worlds for games and other interactive experiences using digital or location-based media. With an academic background in Cultural Geography, I specialise in designing interaction and content that constructs coherent, comprehensive storyworlds, creates a sense of place or engages with physical locations.

My practice-based PhD project, Engaging with Place through Location-Based Games, unpicked the relations between navigation and narrative that shape how people experience places with these media. I independently developed three games as part of this work: The Timekeeper's Return, Canterbury in 3 Words and The Gates to Dreamland.

My way of working is deeply collaborative and I always remain open to leading or contributing to innovative interactive narrative projects. I was recently expert consultant for creative SMEs with StoryFutures, sharing insights on game design, location and environment in digital narrative experiences. This led to collaborations with immersive theatre company Gideon Reeling (Interrobang?!) and consultation for Picture This Productions (Time Detectives: The Mystery of the Mary Rose; Tudors Augmented).

I have also shared my knowledge extensively through teaching and presenting at conferences. As Visiting Lecturer in Digital Storytelling at Royal Holloway, I designed my own lecture series on location-based games and taught key narrative design concepts for digital media to undergraduates. I have contributed to teaching on similar topics for Digital Media students at University of the West of England (UWE).

I currently work as a Research Associate at the Digital Cultures Research Centre, UWE. Based in the Pervasive Media Studio, a digital creativity hub in central Bristol, I work at the heart of a network of media practitioners, artists and industry experts. I am on the committee of the Digital Geographies Research Group and am Associate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Education

PhD Geography and Media Arts (Royal Holloway, University of London)

MA Cities and Cultures (Queen Mary, University of London)

BA Geography (University of Cambridge)

Prizes

Grand Prize, Global Game Jam 2023 at Bristol Games Hub (Interment)

Honourable Mention, Sound Walk September Awards 2020 (A Different LENS)

Principal's Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement, 2016 (Queen Mary, University of London)

Skills

Ideation

Research

World- building

Character design

Writing

Documentation

Directing

Team management

Testimonials

“What struck me most as I completed the treasure hunt was how Jack Lowe’s enthralling story weaved past and present together so expertly. Blending local history with real-life connection to businesses in the Cathedral Quarter today, participants had the opportunity not only to learn about the often-overlooked stories and landmarks that make this historic quarter so unique, but also to visit a diverse range of shops and eateries, engaging with people there who are passionate about what they do.”

Lisa Carlson, CEO of Canterbury Connected Business Improvement District, on The Timekeeper's Return

“I thought it was great in terms of personalising historical narrative. I really felt like [Galileo] was there telling me, rather than you telling me. So I think that was definitely quite a big achievement in terms of the writing, and also the voicing, because I felt like your voice could’ve been the voice of an actor.”

Charlotte Mikkelborg, Creative Director of Picture This Productions, on The Gates to Dreamland

“I really enjoyed playing it, you did a great job creating an engaging narrative and I enjoyed the graphics and sound design. I got super focused in the first few minutes and went into detective mode scribbling away which I didn’t expect to do straight away, you’ve done a great job at hooking people in quickly and keeping them involved.”

Amy Mifsud, Communications Lead at Knowle West Media Centre, on Interment

"Funny, clever and very immersive, Interrobang is a brilliant show which uses technology to create a fully immersive show where audience members become part of a complex murder investigation. Not only has it been beautifully crafted, but the way it engages with the audience and uses all of the familiar digital tools at our disposal creates a very exicting experience and a commentary on our current status quo."

Silvia Mercuriali, theatre-maker and artist, on Interrobang?!

“The Timekeepers Return was enlightening, exciting and intriguing. The storyline delivered a fascinating experience, and the people we met along the way enchanted with clues and messages from the story. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon, exploring and learning - we felt like children again with a sense of wonder!”

Edd Withers, Digital Community Expert and Chief Executive of Kent Pride, on The Timekeeper's Return

“One of the nice things about the game was that you start looking for things that you wouldn’t otherwise see. You do gain an extra insight, that extra detail; a layer of the city that would usually completely pass you by. It makes you stop, and think, and look at things, and discover and explore.”

Player of Canterbury in 3 Words

“It made you see the connections to the larger picture. It gave you a feeling of something bigger than just you. It's hard not to see other people as just means to ends and not real agents in their own right in the world. But a story like this actually puts you in the shoes of someone completely different."

Player of The Gates to Dreamland

“You do get a feeling of other people's attachments to [Canterbury], and that’s quite a nice thing. There’s that word sonder – the idea that other people have lives, have memories, have things going on. And I think the game highlights that. It just makes you realise how many stories are out there, all linked to this one place.”