Pursuing my creativity without any restrictions at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ
BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design student Dan shares how studying the course has fuelled his passion for game design
I have been passionate about games and game design from a very young age. I remember, when I was very young, realising that someone had to have made what I was playing. From that point onward, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in video game design.
I chose to study at the ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ because I had heard that itÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s one of the best universities to study video game art and design. Its facilities are some of the best in the country. Not only that, but ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ is a vibrant city that I fell in love with immediately after visiting for the first time.
My course highlights so far
Being able to work on a wide variety of team projects with some amazing, like-minded people has been an incredible highlight.
My favourite project that I have worked on so far is a PlayStation One style "Metroidvania" game (a subgenre of action-adventure games focused on exploration, progression, and acquiring abilities to access new areas), in which you play an axolotl named Quetzal that must navigate through a complex large-scale dungeon to reach the door to the underworld. I was behind the entire creation of the level and environment design ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ“ with help from my team to create a variety of assets for me to use. ItÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s interesting reflecting on how the project developed from a simple greybox test, alongside a design journal, to a fully-fledged environment that makes the most of all the gameplay mechanics.
How I created the game
We used Unreal Engine 5 to produce the game and Maya to model external assets that we used in the game. Adobe Substance 3D Painter was also used to create the textures for the game. Learning how to use different software is important as they are used frequently within the industry. Unreal Engine 5, especially, is now being used to make some of the biggest games in the industry, as well as being used for other creative means such as movies.
The audience reaction to my project was incredibly positive and I am really proud of what I have made!
Dan showcasing his game featuring Quetzal the axolotl
Feeling supported to follow my dream career
The support I have received from the lecturers of the course has been unmatched. They are incredibly friendly and are always willing to help with an issue.
The
Careers Service has also been efficient and very easy to access. My career ambitions are to be a level designer or environmental artist for a large-scale video game studio to help make big budget games. ItÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s what I am most passionate about doing in the industry and I would love to work for a company like Valve or Naughty Dog.
If youÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™re at all interested in making video games, I would highly recommend the BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design course. It covers everything you need to know about making games and allows you to pursue your creativity without any restrictions. The ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ is an incredible university with incredible people and facilities ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ“ and I cannot recommend it enough.
Game Arts and Design at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ
"If you love creating visually stunning games and immersive experiences, this course gives you the chance to focus on the artistic side of game development. YouÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™ll learn to design characters, environments and storylines using industry tools like Unreal Engine and Blender. Graduates go on to work at top companies like EA Games and Aardman Animation, and work on high profile projects like Alien: Romulus and NetflixÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s Three Body Problem."
Lecturer in Game Arts and Design
