Winter graduations 2020: Citation - David Banner MBE

Graduations at De Montfort University are an opportunity to bring into our university family talents from diverse fields and backgrounds who all hold something in common: they use what they have to add to the lives of others.

The distinguished guest we honour today is a celebrated figure in the industry of video game design and one of the UK’s leading video game entrepreneurs. David Banner’s experience includes the design, development and distribution of more than 40 gaming titles - which have sold in excess of a staggering 10 million copies worldwide.

David graduated from DMU back in 1995 in a ceremony held at De Montfort Hall. Though a little different from these we host today right here on campus, it too was full of the same buzz of anticipation and excitement of graduating students ready to take their next important step. Armed with a first-class degree in Graphic Design and inspired by the thrill of adventure of his favourite video games, David landed his first job as a ‘pixel pusher’, creating digital and then three-dimensional art. Working for companies like Eidos Interactive – makers of the iconic Tomb Raider – he designed games for every kind of console, from the classic Sega Saturn to the Sony PlayStation.

But the possibility of more creative freedom, and a vision for the potential of the games industry outside of London, motivated David to found his own company: Wales Interactive. Now a multi-award-winning video game developer and publisher, the company understands everything it takes to build fantastic and immersive games across multiple platforms and for household name consoles such as PlayStation, XBox and Nintendo.

His company’s impressive portfolio has gained worldwide critical acclaim. Its many accolades include receiving the Great British Entrepreneur Award, twice being a winner of the Wales Technology Award, and also being a three-time winner of the BAFTA Cymru Award. David’s company builds games that are playful, experimental and original, collaborating with some of the most talented games developers and film makers across the globe. Wales Interactive prides itself on a reputation for offering the unexpected and bizarre; games which subvert genres, test unconventional gameplay and pioneer next-generation technologies – and in doing so, offers its players an escape from reality into the extraordinary.

The driving force for David’s work stems from his belief that you don’t have to be in London or Los Angeles to create vibrant and exciting games: creativity can flourish anywhere. His contribution has been instrumental in putting Wales on the video game map: founding the Wales Games Show, helping to establish the Game Art degree course at the University of South Wales, and encouraging change in government policy to launch a digital development fund for emerging creatives in the area.

For his services to the games industry he has been awarded a St David Award by the Welsh Government, and a Member of the Order of the British Empire. But he remains humbled by recognition; for David, it’s just about doing a job he loves and making games that entertain people around the world. He advises that making a successful career in any industry is about “perseverance, and never giving up on your dreams.”

David Banner, your innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship have produced games which challenge convention and entertain millions. These qualities, which we so champion here at DMU, are why we are proud today to welcome you back and to make you an Honorary Doctor of Technology.