Brendan is studying Computer Science at Deakin University. He reflects on his specialisation in games development and why he chose to follow that stream when it was offered as part of his degree.
Where do you study? What's the name of the course?
I study at Deakin University in Waurn Ponds. I am currently completing a Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science and Software Development) and I am completing a second major in Games Development.
How did you find out about the course you're doing?
I found out about the Software Development course through Deakin handbooks and the like. I went to quite a few open days and got a good idea of what different courses offered me. The game major was only made available in my second year, and I heard about that through Deakin itself, as we had the opportunity to fully transfer into the games course.
Was the course easy to get into? What did you have to do to qualify?
The Computer Science course was easy to get into for me. An ENTER score of high sixties to mid seventies was needed, and I made that easily. The other requirements were general requirements such as VCE English and Maths methods.
What made you decide that you wanted to study how to make games?
I have had a love for games since I was a kid, and during my later years in high school I tried out modding on some games and programmed my own simple games in both school times for some subjects and in my own time.
When games was offered at Deakin, I thought it was an opportunity too good to miss, to learn how to make the things I enjoy playing. Through the course I have also found a creative outlet for myself, and have allowed me to find a way to communicate ideas and my imagination to other people through games.
What sort of things do you study as part of learning to make games?
We have studied the whole process, from the initial idea and how to work it into something that a game can be based on, to the fleshing out of the idea, pitching the idea to sponsors and publishers, the lifecycle of game development from design to actual creation and then the marketing and final release of the game as well as maintaining the game.
Other things such as the impact of games on society, and design aspects such as narrative, visual and audio design are covered. Actual creation of game content such as audio and visual content is covered in the course.
What's the hardest part about designing a game?
The hardest part of designing the game is the initial idea I think. The initial idea has to be simple enough as not to make the game confusing, but complex enough to be challenging and fresh.
Originality is needed as well to make sure that the game does not just end up being lost in the crowd. Once you have a solid initial idea for a game, design decisions will flow from there to create a solid game.
What's the most fun part about designing a game?
The most fun part is seeing all of your designs and hard work come together in the implementation of the game. This is a really great part of the development of games as you can see all of your hard work and all of the decisions you've made come together to form a tangible and playable game. It's a great feeling.
How big a part of your life are games?
Games are a large part of my life when I have the time to play them. I find that I can escape into a game world for awhile, and just forget everything for a time. It lets me relax from the real world.
What's your favorite game? Why?
My favorite game would be Grand Theft Auto 3. I had played GTA1 and GTA2, and enjoyed both games, but GTA3 was different. I first played the game at a friend's house on his PlayStation 2, and I loved it. So when it was released for PC, I made sure that I had it as soon as it came out.
It was the first game that I had played that offered true freedom. You go anywhere, do anything. And once the main storyline was over there was always more things to do. You could do various side missions or just have fun. It was something that I had been looking for in a game for awhile. While some games offered some freedoms, GTA offered total freedom. I spent many hours playing GTA3, and also GTA:Vice City and GTA:San Andreas. Each game has perfected the open-ended game play feel while not being overwhelming.
What kind of job do you want to end up with?
I want to end up programming content for a games company. This way I can see my work having an effect straight away, and I can manipulate directly what the player will see, use, hear etc. I want to hold a programming position as it allows me to be creative and have a creative input into the project as well as being able to enjoy the work I'm doing.
