BLOG ABOUT MY COURSE
Year 1
So far my current course has given me a basic understanding of the gaming industry as a whole as well as starting to develop my skills in the following.
Programming
Gameplay design
3D modelling
Animation
Industry knowledge
For the programming aspect of my course, I struggled at first due to the C* language being different from what I am used to in Python and C++, but after watching a few tutorials, I feel I am improving and hope to continue to improve as I progress in the course. Gameplay design was completely new to me when starting the course, however, I find this aspect one of the most interesting as it brings in my background knowledge of the different games and genres. Before starting this course I was most worried about 3D modelling and animation due to my artistic skills not being developed, however, I now feel am much better at expressing my artistic vision in software such as Maya and Mudbox. Most of my industry knowledge I had learned from my A-Level in business studies, however, this explored businesses in general rather than just within the gaming industry meaning this course will be much more useful as I will be able to apply it in my future career.
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YEAR 2
After completing my second year at the UCC, I feel that my overall knowledge of the industry and my skills in the different roles involved in game design have improved exponentially. The key areas that my second year has evolved are the following.
Folley and Sound design
Level design
Programming
Unreal engine skills
Game design theory
Unfortunately, Covid 19 has had a great impact on my course as we moved onto online learning in March 2020. This has resulted in certain modules being adapted and changed to stay within the lockdown guidelines. One of the modules that were impacted most was the foley and sound design assignment as we had learned specific software that was unavailable to people working from home. This resulted in us having to learn a different piece of software in order to complete our assignment. Another way the pandemic has affected this assignment was that we no longer had access to the studios and hardware we had planned on utilising to record our sound effects. This resulted in an end product that was at a lower standard than I had hoped. I have seen the greatest growth in both skillset and interest within my level design. After an in-depth talk about level design with one of my lecturers, I realised that level design is the area that I hope to develop into my career path. For my studio project and programming assignment, I aimed to focus on showcasing my level design which can be seen here. Programming is an area I hope to improve upon going into my final year to assure that I have got a well-round skillset to go into the workplace with.
Unexpectedly one of the areas from my second year that I feel I excelled at most was my research into the theory of immersion using Grand Theft Auto 5 as a case study. I feel that I managed to complete this research to a high degree and found the theory behind the game design very interesting and it is again, something I hope to expand my knowledge looking forward to my final year.
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YEAR 3 (IN PROGRESS)
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I am currently in my third and final year on my game design course and I feel I am making great progress in improving my skills to match the industry standard. After completing my second year, I took the time to write a development plan which states all of the skills and areas I had hoped to improve upon before I graduate. As of February, I feel I am definitely on my way to attaining those goals.
So far in my third year, I have completed a research project investigating how level design can enhance the experience for the player. During my investigation, I completed primary research in the way of an interview, questionnaire, and focus group in order to gather as many responses and opinions as possible. This title also links into my aspiration to become a level designer and I feel the knowledge I gained from this experience will assist me in achieving this.
My other major project that spans the whole of my final year is my in-development game ‘Insurmountable’. Insurmountable is a third/first-person action-adventure puzzle game that has a heavy focus on level design. As of the current state of development, the focus was to create a detailed and enjoyable level to traverse with limited game features included. During my advanced programming module towards the end of the final year, I plan on adding more advanced features such as an inventory and combat system to add some challenge to the game. Follow this link to view Insurmountable in its current state.