Game on for students keen to work within interactive media

Higher National Diploma in Interactive Media students Paul Campbell and Paul McAllister from Glengormley and Kurtis Kingsberry from Newtownabbey are among local ‘Game Boys’ who have participated in Belfast Metropolitan College’s innovative Games and Digital Animation Club, designed and developed by college staff with support from the Department for Employment and Learning’s Innovation Fund.

For the past year this club has enhanced the technical and entrepreneurial skills of participating students studying for the National Diploma in Interactive Game development, Higher National Diploma in Interactive Media and the Foundation Degree in Software Engineering.

As well as working together to develop their own games and concepts, both Pauls and Kurtis have benefitted from mentoring from creative digital agencies, animators and video game research professionals and from advice on accessing funding and setting up their own companies.

Together with three classmates, Paul Campbell set up a company called ‘Drastic Measures’ and developed a game called ‘Wattson’, whilst Paul McAllister set up ‘Brilliant but Lazy’ with Robert Buchanan and developed a game called ‘Dead Man Driving’.

Kurtis Kingsberry and two others set up ‘Best Friend Productions’ and developed ‘Notebook Ninja’ - a game about one Ninja’s quest to save the world.

Their work was showcased at the recent Innovative Gaming in Education (ingage) conference attended by interested school pupils, college students and staff and local industry representatives.

The event presented an opportunity for the team to network with local game developers and hear from eminent industry speakers, including Kevin Beimers from ‘Straandlooper’ - the creators of ‘Lifeboat Luke’, ‘The Hector Files’, ‘Small Tragedies’ - and Professor Greg Maguire of the University of Ulster who has been instrumental in the launch and development of numerous heavy-hitters of animation. His most recent work can be seen in ‘Terminator Salvation’ and ‘Avatar’.

Speaking at ingage, Greg Maguire, Professor of Visual Communication at the University of Ulster said: “It’s very clear from the students’ work on display that there is talent, a hunger and a passion; three key ingredients needed to build a thriving, scaleable and sustainable game industry in Northern Ireland.”

Christian McGilloway, who teaches Interactive Game Development at Belfast Metropolitan College said: “Whilst gaming is an emerging sector in Northern Ireland the opportunities globally are boundless. Up to 300 people can be instrumental in bringing a game to market, and job opportunities exist for producers, artists, modellers, programmers, marketing specialists, sound and engine designers and testers.

“The National Diploma in Interactive Game Development and the HND in Interactive Media courses at Belfast Met are in high demand and it certainly is not just about playing games. We are currently the only college in Northern Ireland to have an extra-curricular Games and Digital Animation Club; the quality of games that have been developed by the students in the last year is testament to the skills they have learnt and their determination to succeed in this exciting and fast moving industry.”