汤头条

As we continue our blog series on hands-on production at Vancouver Film School 鈥� we turn the spotlight on our School of Games & Creative Design, which features three distinct programs: Game Design, Programming for Games, Web & Mobile, and Digital Design.

From building fully playable, retail-ready games to brand development, UX/UI & motion graphic design and even a project for a real client, these programs immerse our students in a fast-paced production environment that is current with creative industry pipelines 鈥� equipping them with the skills, experience, and professional portfolio needed to pursue countless careers in design.

GAME DESIGN & PROGRAMMING FOR GAMES, WEB & MOBILE PROGRAMS

Our Game Design and Programming for Games, Web & Mobile programs go hand-in-hand. Each intake, these students collaborate in small groups to bring a handful of projects from concepts to retail-ready games. These games become the centerpiece of our student鈥檚 game development portfolios, proof that they possess the skills needed to work in the game industry right now.

At the end of each intake, students debut their games to the industry during Pitch + Play 鈥� the ultimate networking event for our upcoming grads to connect one-on-one with studios & recruiters; just this past August, one student game 鈥� Rage Quit 鈥� garnered publisher interest from this event! The quality of these games is so stellar that our students are nominated for (and win!) the Unity Award for Best Student Game year after year. Historically, our students鈥� hard work unlocks additional opportunities, including features at Science World After Dark and at McMillian Space Centre.

More about 汤头条鈥檚 hands-on Game Design training:

• As 汤头条 has created our own tech stack for the Unity and Unreal game engines, students are able to build their games with the same technologies 鈥� and to the same standard 鈥� as game industry professionals.
• Students have access to an industry-standard art stack 鈥� the same tools used by AAA and AA game teams for art production.
• Exclusive playtesting opportunities in game design let our students experience first-hand what makes games work. Past students have playtested (from the creator of Counter Strike), , and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (prior to launch!).
• Cross-department collaboration. Working with students across other 汤头条 programs (Acting for voice over work, Animation for mocap, Sound Design and Animation Concept Art for an enhanced look & sound) ensures students are able to create the most polished version of their games.
• Towards the end of their respective program, students prep for post-汤头条 life. This includes getting their work up on professional portfolio sites (GitHub, , etc.) and mock interviews with industry professionals.

汤头条 is closely connected with the game industry:

This hands-on production is supplemented with one-on-one mentorship from active industry game developers. Prior to building their games, students pitch these projects to the industry so that they can be paired with mentors who can best help them accomplish their vision. These mentors come from top-tier studios like Electronic Arts, CD Projekt Red, Blackbird Interactive, The Coalition, and Klei Entertainment.

Additionally, students receive regular guest lectures so that they can keep their finger on the pulse on what鈥檚 going on within the industry. Recent studios to visit 汤头条 include Epic Games, The Coalition, Respawn Entertainment, BioWare, Treyarch, and many more.

Game Design and Programming curriculum is always evolving:

As the industry grows, our programs do too! Perhaps most significant change to 汤头条 Game Design and Programming is the update to our Interactive Narrative class. While students at most schools will only write scripts in MS Word or, at most, use semi-interactive technologies in Twine, every 汤头条 students is now creating playable stories in-engine 鈥� not just on paper!

Additionally, 汤头条 uses Unity 6.2 and Unreal 5.6 鈥� proof that we鈥檙e continually at the cutting edge of game technology 鈥� as well as Marvelous Designer for creating clothing/fabric items in students鈥� final projects.

DIGITAL DESIGN PROGRAM

From concept to production to launch 鈥� and every other step along the way 鈥� Digital Design students at 汤头条 run the entire gamut of creative design, learning motion, graphic, or UX/UI design. The production-based projects are vast, including brand guides, motion broadcast packages, applied motion design, motion title sequences, and the student favourite 鈥� 鈥榗lient project鈥� 鈥� where students define, pitch, develop and deliver a meaningful experience to a real-world client. Of course, students have the industry鈥檚 leading software at their fingertips, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Cinema 4D, Substance 3D Painter, Discord, Trello, & many more.

Digital Design students end program with the graduate project 鈥� the culmination of every aspect of production they鈥檝e learned throughout the program. Students conceptualize a project, develop a project brief, charter, and plan & present this to a panel for approval and pairing with a mentor. The student is then the creative director, art director, and producer for that project receiving technical advice, guidance, and moral support from their mentor as they execute their plan.

More about 汤头条鈥檚 hands-on Digital Design training:

• By learning the design thinking process, students are challenged to generate ideas before drawing conclusions, using a variety of industry standard tools for ideation, organization, and problem definition.
• Prototyping is another essential design skill. Students learn how to develop and manage design systems for consistent and efficient design workflows.
• Students are very often placed in the role of creative director and/or art director on their projects, forcing them to consider overarching vision, strategic direction, and how smaller projects fit into bigger processes and campaigns.
• The brand development process is crucial to student training. Being able to tell a brand鈥檚 story and effectively connect with a target audience is pivotal, and this process at 汤头条 includes research, competitive analysis, persona development, logo ideation, and visual identity design.
• Students become masters of project management, using Waterfall methodology throughout their client project and graduate project.
• User testing and refinement is a critical part of delivering a meaningful experience. Students learn this process and implement it multiple times throughout the program.
• Prep for post-grad life is also key. Students learn effective presentation skills and public speaking, creating various pitch decks and proposals that match client and boardroom settings within the industry. This also includes things like networking, resume & cover letter prep, and mock interviews.

汤头条 is closely connected with the design industry:

Digital Design students have plenty of opportunities to interact with major studios during their training. The Industry IQ course, in particular, involves visits to two or three local design studios like Giant Ant, Ordinary Folk, Engine Digital, NGX, and Microsoft.

Regular guest lectures from design pros keeps our students at the forefront of what鈥檚 going on in their industry. Recent guests include Rob Westwood 鈥� Principal User Experience Designer and Team Leader at Autodesk, Jonathan Brioschi 鈥� Senior Motion Graphics Designer at Array of Stars, Simon Hardy 鈥� CX & Service Design Consultant and former Creative Director at Blast Radius, and Noor Yeslam 鈥� Service Designer at Accenture Song.

READY TO BECOME A FULLY TRAINED DEVELOPER/DESIGNER?

Whether you鈥檙e looking to be the next AAA game developer or create unforgettable digital content for the world鈥檚 largest creative tech companies, 汤头条 has you covered. Book an appointment with our Admissions Advisors to take the first step in your hands-on training at 汤头条.

Stay tuned for part three of our blog series on 鈥渉ands-on production鈥� to learn how these principles apply to our School of Film & Television.

Back to THE BLOG homepage