John Bowditch

Area of Expertise

• Immersive Media Development
• Game Development
• Entrepreneurship and Media Innovation

John Bowditch is the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab director at Ohio University. The GRID Lab was founded in 2004 with a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to bring immersive technology education, research, and entrepreneurial support to southeast Ohio. Since its founding, nearly a dozen companies have spun out of the GRID Lab. 

John is an associate professor of virtual reality and game development at the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies in the Scripps College of Communication. His current research primarily focuses on location-based virtual reality development.

John has led over 30 funded research and development projects at Ohio University, which has exceeded $7.5 million in support. Sponsors have included the National Institutes of Health, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, Department of Labor, Department of Education, and the Ohio Department of Medicaid. He co-led a team that was the 2023 Science and Innovation Award winner from the FBI National Academy Associates Foundation.

He is the co-author of The Power of Virtual Reality Cinema for Healthcare Training: A Collaborative Guide for Medical Experts and Media Professionals (2021).

Courses Taught

• VR: Interactive
• VR and Game Development Capstone
• Mixed and Hyper-Reality Development
• Digital Game Design
• Game Development I and II