Steve: I was lucky enough to grow up around technology for my whole life.
I learned to program and create things early on, and that neverstopped.
But having a career making games was about as attainable as being a rock star or anastronaut back then.
There was no SMU Guildhall.
There were no degrees in gamedesign.
There was no mature path into an established industry, so it wasnt an explicitcareer goal.
I just needed to start my own studio.
So I went to get my MBA with an eye on starting a studio with my best friend fromcollege.
I felt like I won the lottery.
I was in heaven.
Thats also where I really learnedabout the business of games.
Steve: Wow, I think thats the first time in historyJudge DreddandQuakewerementioned in the same sentence.
One of these things is definitely not like the other.They cant all be hits.
That is certainly the case in my career.
Looking back, Ive had a great run and have worked with some incredibly talented people and great studios.
Im not just drawing onresearch-based best-practices, but also hard-fought lessons and even-better-ifs.
Ill be honest and say Iburned out of the industry for a few years after that experience.
I enjoyed a really good run with thesecompanies.
One semester turned into another and another.
I loved it and, surprisingly (to me), I waspretty good at it.
I rediscovered my love for making games and workingwith creative people.
In 2016, I came on full-time, and took over the GameLab in 2018.
Steve: SMU Guildhall is a top-ranked masters program in video game design.
Studentsin four specializationsArt, Design, Programming, and Productionsplit their timebetween making games and mastering their craft.
Its our goal to create experienced,full-stack, studio-ready developers.
In the afternoons, they focus on discipline-specific courses to hone their skills.
But it isnt the whole story.
This is a process, and its what setsus apart, I believe.
In their second semester, its much more hands-on and the scope ramps upexponentially.
The point of this class is to learn how tocommunicate at scale and solve creative challenges together.
Capstone is really where theyre operating at a professional level.
They have the benefitof preproduction, and the teams are more organized and experienced.
All along the way, our faculty are there to teach, coach, and mentor our students.
Weteam-teach many of our courses, and all of us are from the industry rather thanacademia.
Putting my studio-head hat on for a second, I get to do something extraordinary at SMUGuildhall.
Youll have to come to Guildhall to learn that.
You start with ideation.
In the early days, youre simply prototyping components of gameplay to see what worksand what is failing.
You cut the parts away that arent working, and put energy intodeveloping the parts that are.
Again, we deliver this in increments with each successive sprint andmilestone.
Sounds easy and logical, right?
Of course, it isnt that simple.
It comes down to experienced people creating aframework around the teams that set them up for success.
But that framework isconsistent from project to project, team to team.
Studios and publishers are takingmassive creative and financial risks with these games.
You asked which game engines we use.
Were also fully licensed Playstation and Xbox developers,so we can target those systems, too.
We publish on Steam, Epic Games Store, andothers coming soon.
I should mention that both Valve and Epic have been incrediblepartners for our program.
Much of what we do wouldnt be possible without theirongoing support.
Steve: I love this question.
Preparation for a career in the industrystarts early.
Fortunately, we can be the last stop along the path towards that career.
Butit starts with Math.
Sorry, kids, but its true.
STEM is hugely important for all of our disciplines, especially programming.
Game devrequires some of the most performance-critical programming around.
Of course, learningany programming language is valuable.
Youllalso want to develop a range of styles, not just one like anime.
Speaking ofenvironments, I also recommend studying basic architecture and what makes abelievable space.
Youll want to learn as many engines as it’s possible for you to.
Mostly, you have to develop the ability to create a fun andvaried game experience collaboratively through ideation.
Start creating a side-scroller inUnity.
STEM is also really helpful for artists and designers, too.
Producers are a special breed.
Learn math, business, organizational behavior, andcommunications in school.
Learn Unity and Unreal.
Take a basic programming courseor two.
Learn podcasting and videoproduction.
Whichever path you choose, join the IGDA and start to web connection while you build yourportfolio.
Join GameJams and have fun with it.
Steve: Our metrics for success are not the same as they would be if we were acommercial studio.
Everything we do is for the benefit of the students.
Its not aboutMetacritic scores or revenue.
Its about them being able to demonstrate clearly that theyare capable of making games at a professional quality.
So we put an emphasis on quality overquantity when it comes to scope.
Steve: By the time your readers see this, well have just launched our two most recentCapstones.
Kneedle Knightis a really cute, charming 3D platformer where you are a mouse namedSir Lukoss The Small.
It turnedout incredibly well and the team is really proud of their work.
This introducedan interesting mechanic where light hurts you and shadow heals.
So the game is aboutfinding strategic safety in shadows and defeating enemies and ultimately Asurya.
Kneedle KnightandAsuryas Embers,along with our whole back catalog of games, ison Steam for free.
https://kneedleknight.comhttps://asuryasembers.comhttps://store.steampowered.com/publisher/smuguildhall
Steve: Im so grateful for the opportunity.
This has been a lot of fun.
Alternatively, you might visit their sitehere.
Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net.
