“If you would really like to get the attention of [the games] industry and set yourself apart, your work has to reflect something that [game developers] don’t currently do or don’t know about…”
Upon looking at the list of projects for next semester at the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), one could not help but notice the growth of approved game-oriented projects since last year. For students that are interested in the game industry, there are now much more opportunities. Particularly, with all the buzz around the game production projects, it may be easy to discount the two “research projects” such as Game Innovations and Game Sketching.
Frankly, it is understandable why some might think as research to be “un-sexy.” After watching the Game Sketching presentation in ETC Pittsburgh online, I can totally empathize with the reactions to the video our first week of work. On face value, it looks like a team of students could make a more “polished” experience in one round of BVW, but that is not the point of a research project.
The goal is to generate knowledge, not products, which can be a hard notion to take in. Since much of the industry seems to be focused on spectacle (i.e. graphics, AI, and physics), it seems reasonable to want to do the same in order to show that you have what it takes to “break in.” However, if you would really like to get the attention of industry and set yourself apart, your work has to reflect something that they don’t currently do or don’t know about.
But isn’t the ETC supposed to be production-oriented? Yes, it is very much so, and that is perfectly fine. It shows that ETC students can finish work, which is extremely important. However, research projects prove more than your ability to ship a title. They give developers in the industry better tools with the bonus of making you an automatic expert in that field, and developers find a lot of value in that too.
As a game developer, there have been three projects that have stood out to me as “immediately relevant” for all game developers: Experimental Gameplay, Game Innovations, and Game Sketching. Experimental Gameplay shows us that a new game “toy” or mechanic could be prototyped in only a week. Game Innovations is a “Web 2.0″ version of the toolbox assignment from Jesse Schell’s Game Design course. It gives designers a sort of practical language with which to communicate. To put it simply, it is a language of precedents. Lastly, Game Sketching is essentially “PreViz” for games. It allows designers an agile way to establish the experience of a game without scripting artificial intelligence.
At my time at Edge of Reality, it was common practice for a designer to take you aside to play an existing game and at the end of the conversation he would say, “Make it like that!” The notion, that an ETC project can expand the library of references at a game designer’s disposal or add to his arsenal by creating completely new forms of play, is extremely significant. It means that research projects have the possibility of changing the very way that professionals in the industry think, and that makes the ETC a very exciting place to be. So, if you’re applying to the ETC or continuing onto the next semester, take advantage of these projects while you have the chance.
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