James Avery is already making a name for himself in the gaming industry - despite being only two thirds of the way through his BA (Hons) Computer Games and Visual Effects degree at Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University.

Having been head-hunted by Cambridge-based Gaming company Frontier Developments last year, James has just seen the release of his first video-game 'Kinect Disneyland Adventures', a collaboration with Microsoft Game Studios and Disney.

James, who lives in Cambridge, described how his dream career was launched:

"I always attend the Game Jams that my tutor organised for us. Game Jams are gaming events where teams are given a brief and compete to make the best game in a short amount of time. Afterwards, industry professionals usually come and check out the results, and Frontier saw my work on display. Next thing I know, I'm opening up an email from Frontier's Director of Production, and being offered an interview for the role of Visual Effects Artist within the company! I couldn't believe my eyes!"

Video reproduced courtesy of Frontier Developments.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures, which is out now, is the first game featuring 'open world' navigation on Kinect and features over 100 hours of game play. James' role as Visual Effects Artist is to create all the elements which bring the game to life and add magic, such as fireworks, fire, smoke, moving water and spell trails. He is also responsible for creating realistic lighting effects to give the 'world' depth and realism. The only Visual Effects Artist working on the project, James' flair for visual effects has secured him a promising future in the industry as David Walsh, Managing Director at Frontier, explains:

"Jay came to our attention through Brains Eden, where his work was on display. Frontier is always looking for new, talented individuals who demonstrate particularly strong visual effects skills. Jay's skills in this area, as well as particle simulations and real time lighting, really stood out. He has a great career ahead of him with us!"

For more information about Kinect Disneyland Adventures visit the Xbox marketplace.

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