Abertay University equipping students for the business of video games
- By Jennifer Cosgrove
- Published in the Courier : 29.01.11
- Published online : 29.01.11 @ 02.55pm
(Page 2 of 2)
Ken said Abertay is in the fortunate position of having excellent industry connections due to Dundee being a hub of computer games design.
"The university has many long-standing relationships with the industry, and many of the teaching staff are actually from the industry and continue to make games as contractors. So we are in an ideal position to help the local area retain its focus and provide a base for future games entrepreneurs and investment.
"Some of the staff have provided art for games in the Harry Potter, Medal of Honour, Grand Theft Auto and EA Sports series, amongst others."
Ken also believes it's more important than ever for Dundee to build on its excellent reputation, following the collapse of games company Realtime Worlds last year.
"Realtime Worlds was not the oldest or even the most famous games company to have come from Dundee, but it was a great focal point for graduate employment, industrial mentorship and support," he explained.
So far, the students have worked very well and the most recent intake will graduate in November of this year.
"The problem we had with our first graduating cohort was trying to get them to attend graduation, as so many of them had got jobs in the two months between the course finishing and the graduation ceremony. The first course started out with 15 students, of whom 13 made it, and nine of them had jobs by the time graduation came.
"In the first few weeks after completing their final assignments, they were employed by Sony, Codemasters and Blitz, with others joining exciting new start-up companies."
The computer games industry has changed beyond recognition since Ken became involved in the late 1980s. When he started out it was more like a hobby, whereas now it's a full-blown profession for a global market.
Ken has two undergraduate degrees — one in law and the other in illustration and design. He also has a postgraduate MSc in animation and visualisation.
He first got involved in 1986, going full-time at DMA Design in Dundee in 1992.
"The games industry has basically come from a niche market with a particular fan base to the world's largest entertainment industry. You can see it happening on the Apple app store and all the big companies are moving in," he said.
"When it started off in Dundee, there was far less of the management and the stress. If you wanted to make a game, you just had to get a few people in a room and have a few fun lively meetings. You didn't have the hierarchy of management and the money-people breathing down your neck.
"The main difference was people like me — in their early 40s — when we started, we were artists who the games industry needed. Technology had improved and they couldn't get by with black and white blocks, so they had to come and find people like us.
"This course is about getting students ready for industry and having them making games instead of reading about them or writing essays about them."
Artwork above by Ryan Locke and Leyan Zhang.
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