Using Games to Teach Music

Team Member: Sam McKinley, Game Programming

Sight-reading and ear training are important skills for band, orchestra and choir. But when it comes to learning and playing music, these skills aren’t typically taught until middle and high school. Playing instruments from a young age, Sam McKinley, a Game Programming major, discovered that when it’s taught earlier, it’s easier for students to understand music. This is where his Student Innovation Project (SIP), Music in Me: Mega Melody, comes into play, teaching sight-reading and ear training to grades 3-5.

Notably, Sam was active in the jazz and honor bands and part of many different music groups throughout school. He learned the clarinet in fifth grade and tenor saxophone in seventh grade.

“I noticed that when these topics are taught, people have that lightbulb moment, and realize they might actually be good at this. I wanted to create those moments; I wanted to help people get to that point. I found the easiest way, other than teaching them in person, was teaching them through games. I was raised with so many educational games, and through those, I learned so much more.”

Raised by an elementary school teacher, Sam’s mom was a huge inspiration. He notes, “The thing that spawned the idea was watching her kids learn the very beginning instruments, like the recorder. And through that, I had the idea that I want to help with this, but I can’t because of my own disabilities.”

A familiar face around his mom’s classroom and the elementary school, Sam’s passion over the last couple of years was teaching kids all things music and instruments. Until his vertigo set in, he was part of the after-school program, teaching music and general studies, and consistently helping in classrooms throughout the day.

“Because my mom was there all day, she would bring me. I was even asked to help with kindergarten and grades one and two. That was actually my passion; I just can’t keep up with those kids anymore,” Sam states.  

Bring His Passion to Life 

Music in Me: Mega Melody was mainly built in Unity using Visual Studio and C# development. Attributing most of his programming knowledge to University of Advancing Technology (UAT), Sam came to the University with a very basic understanding of game programming. Professors Tony Hinton and Adam Moore helped unlock Sam’s potential.

Without an animator helping with the project, Sam took on learning how to edit sprites to make the game interactive via different character features and movements. Professor Adam Moore was a huge help with this aspect, as he introduced Sam to the possibilities with sprites and cohesively implemented many ideas into the game build. Sam also credits Science Professor Nathan Glover, who introduced him to more creative ways to think, not only with science, but with programming. This helped him come up with creative solutions to make the game more fun for kids.

“For a long time, I was searching for how I can interact and help. With stuff like COVID, which slowed everything down, I realized that games help a lot. They relieve stress. That’s when it really started to click for me.”

As a recent UAT graduate, Sam would like to continue developing educational games at a company in the video game industry. “I hope to make that impact again, even if I can’t do it in person. I’ve always loved making games, that’s something I’d really like to do.”

Sam enjoyed his time and loved his experience at UAT. “I love the interactions here. I love that it’s more casual, like some teachers go by their first name, which I really like because it’s easier. Because of the walker, I am somewhat limited, but they have really helped me out here.”

LEGO Lovers Unite!

Team Member: Zack Driscoll, Game Programming

Passionate collectors know part of the fun of collecting is organizing and cataloging the collection. Collectors love LEGO and there are a variety of apps to keep track of brick sets, but for minifigure enthusiasts, cataloging systems come up short.

Zack Driscoll, Game Programming alumni, and his Student Innovation Project (SIP), The Minifig Bin, are here to save the day! The Minifig Bin is a mobile app that enables collectors to keep track of all their minifigures.

An App for Minifigure Enthusiasts

 “There are plenty of times when I want to buy a LEGO set because I’m more interested in the minifigures than the build itself. It could be a set that’s marketed toward say four-year-olds, but it comes with really cool, unique minifigures, so of course, I’m going to get it; I want those characters. The minifigures are such an important part, and I wanted to really focus on them.”

Zack was introduced to LEGO early on and fondly remembers building LEGO sets with his mom and brother, who helped inspire this project. “We’ve loved it for as long as I can remember. That also bled into my love of video games because one of the first video games I can remember playing was the original LEGO Star Wars from 2005. This inspired me to become a game programmer in the first place. I feel like LEGO has always been a huge part of my life, and I’m still going to buy it today.”

With the end goal of creating a database for every minifigure, Zack started with three LEGO themes, Harry Potter, Ninjago and Star Wars, which totaled approximately 60 different minifigures, to launch his idea from concept to interactive app. Within the app, users can add different minifigures to their profile and view pertinent collector information, such as what set the minifigure appears in and the year it was released.

The initial goal is to have LEGO’s entire minifigure collection available, but Zack also has bigger dreams for the app, stating, “Since the idea of LEGO is building, why not let people upload their own custom minifigures into the app. That’s something I definitely want to do because that’s just LEGO.”

The Code Behind the Build

Using Visual Studio Code as the integrated development environment (IDE), Zack built the app with React Native and JavaScript as the programming language. While there are many programming languages for apps, they typically differ by operating system. Using React Native, Zack only had to write one program in JavaScript, enabling his mobile app to run on both iSO and Android devices.  

As a game programmer, many core concepts apply to app development, no matter what language is used. Plus, having already taken JavaScript courses at UAT sped up the React Native learning curve for Zack. Through UAT's React Native courses, taught by Professor Tony Hinton, Zack learned many new skills in the Expo framework for Rapid Application Development (RAD) to seamlessly create and publish React Native mobile apps.

“It is a more tedious experience than you might think, but it was definitely a lot of fun trying to make the app. I wanted to have at least two different versions of each character’s minifigure, provide some basic information and have a system to keep track of how many a collector has, which can be modified through the app.” In his free time, Zack plans to develop this project further.

Recently graduating from UAT in spring 2022, Zack reflects on his time at the University, “My favorite thing is the culture. A lot of other universities are very big, so you don’t get to know a lot of people, and you can’t always form a good connection with your professors. At UAT, you get that opportunity. I can have a casual conversation with my professors and not have to worry about booking it to the other side of campus for class. I can relax, I can talk to people. And we’re small enough where everybody knows everybody for the most part. I just really liked that about the campus experience.”

Considering a Career in Gaming?

Check out the following for more information about UAT gaming degrees.

> Game Art and Animation

> Game Design

> Game Programming

Students Bring the University to Life Through Game

Team Members:
Christelle Cyprien, Virtual Reality
Anthony Marquez, Game Design
Morgan Soetaert, Game Design, Game Programming

Known to University of Advancing Technology (UAT) students as the paper prototyping class, Game 170 is a game design prototyping workshop taught by Professor Hue Henry. Class projects are comprised of creating five physical games (two individual and three group projects), culminating in a final project where students are tasked with combining everything previously learned in class. Students Anthony Marquez, Christelle Cyprien and Morgan Soetaert brought a showstopper to the table with their final game project, UAT Invasion.

“When it comes to skills learned in the class, Professor Hue Henry is always asking if it’s fun. He always tells you, if it’s not fun, then scrap it out, because that’s the point of games. One thing I learned in this class is to really pay attention to how my play testers are reacting to this. Are they having a dull moment, or do they want to win/is it competitive?” shares Christelle.

UAT Invasion is a two-player board game based on UAT’s campus. Taking on the role of UAT professors or evil forms of AI, players compete to take over the most territories and rooms on the board. Team Professor plays to protect the campus while team AI tries to hack and take over control of the school with the end goal being the first player to control four of the seven rooms wins.

Starting the game in designated spots, each participant plays with three character markers that can move in any direction across the board, aside from diagonal. Focused on tactics, strategy, chance and skill, the game is played with movement cards and dice, and includes bonuses such as blocking, puzzles and special abilities.

How to Play:

1. The participant playing the Professors goes first.
2. On the first turn, the player draws a movement card. At the start of each consecutive turn, the player will draw the number of cards they used during their prior turn. For example, if a player uses two cards, such as a blocking card and a movement card, the player will draw two cards instead of one during their next turn. Each player is allowed to hold a maximum of seven cards in their hand at a time.
3. Before moving at the start of their turn, players can use a blocking card to block any of the opponent’s characters on the board for one turn.
4. To gain control of a room, players must land on that room and roll a die. If the room is empty, the player can roll any number and win control of the room. If the opponent has already taken control of that room, the player will have to roll the same number as the dice in the room or higher. If successful, they replace the opponent’s marker and the room has a new number to beat. If they fail, they can use their next turn to try again.
5. To earn special abilities, players must land on a puzzle space that matches their characters and solve the puzzle in under two minutes. If they succeed, the player grabs the token for the space and earns a single-use ability based on the character in use. Players can use this ability whenever they want, as long as it’s during their turn. After the ability is used, the player will return the token to its matching space on the board.
6. The board includes an elevator spot that enables players to move between stories.

Characters are classified as Programmers, Designers, Artists and Math Experts, and include many well-known faces around UAT. Play as Professors Derric Clark, Heather Peters and Matthew Marquit, to name a few, or the Monitor, Drone and Phone, and unlock special abilities depending on the chosen characters.

To earn special single use abilities, land on a matching player square and complete the puzzle. Designers unlock the ability for a player to move twice with the option to either move one character twice or move two characters once during that turn. Players will use a separate movement card each time. The Math Experts enable a player to change a die’s value. They can add a point to one of their dice or remove one from an enemy’s die. Programmers unlock the ability to roll a die twice when a player is attempting to capture a room. Artists enable players to shuffle the deck and swap their cards for new ones.

• Designers: Professors Lynn Understiller and Derric Clark vs. the Laptop and Flash Drive
• Math Experts: Professors Nathan Glover and Heather Peters vs. the VR Headset and Drone
• Programmers: Professors Adam and Moore Hue Henry vs. the Computer Tower and Monitor
• Artists: Professors Jorge Portillo and Matthew Marquit vs. the Phone and Art Tablet

UAT Invasion also includes a special room on the second floor of the board for Provost Dr. Dave Bolman, which has different rules from the other six rooms. At the start of the game, both players roll two dice to establish the number required to control this room. The dice are left in the room with a player marker. When a player reaches this room, they have 30 seconds to roll the predetermined number to win this room. If successful, the player will control this room for the rest of the game; the other player cannot steal this room. If they fail, the player can try again during their next turn.

When asked about her experience at UAT so far, team member Morgan Soetaert states, “I love it here. I love the environment. The people are just unique. We’re all very similar, you can talk to anyone and immediately have a related interest. The professors are helpful, and they really care about your education. I enjoy talking to all of them—they’re all very passionate.”

Team member Anthony Marquez shares a similar perspective, “My experience here has been really great. It’s not hard, but it’s not easy. You learn a lot because it’s really hands-on, and the teachers are cool because they’re just older versions of us. The people here [are my favorite], you can talk to anyone because they’re interested in the same things, you don’t feel left out here.”

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) sat down with Student Ambassador, Katherine (Kat) Ervin to talk about her studies and how they intersect with her work and personal life.

"Going into this field has made me happier than I ever have been, and I truly get to let my passion and personality shine in my work." - Katherine Ervin

 What Is your major and why did you choose it?

I am majoring in Game Design and Game Art and Animation. I have always been passionate about art and video games. I wanted to find a career path that incorporated the two and I found out that being a Game Artist and Designer wasn’t “the guy in his parent’s basement” like everyone said but was an actual job! Going into this field has made me happier than I ever have been, and I truly get to let my passion and personality shine in my work.

How many credits are you taking this semester?

I have five classes and each class is around three credits. Next semester, however, I want to turn up the heat and take seven classes in total. 

Why did you want or have to work while earning your degree?

I wanted to work because I would like to be able to have more income for my projects and to help my mother out. She is a single parent and must take care of my little brother, who is still in high school and is special needs. She would send me close to a hundred dollars a week and I would feel terrible because we never had much, and I want that money to go towards my brother and the home we live in. I also needed extra money on the side for the software that I use personally, and I hated when she had to pay for it. Now I pay for it on my own and I alleviate her of having to spend extra money weekly.

Is it challenging to work while attending school?

It can get challenging sometimes. I sometimes have a hard time with time management and procrastinating on my schoolwork. Once I get behind, it gets hard to balance the incoming work along with the late assignments and then go to work on top of it. However, having the job has given me a sense of responsibility and has helped me procrastinate less. So, in all honesty, it has helped me stay stable in my grades more than drown me!

How are you working through it?

I am doing my work earlier and on days I am off, so I do not have to worry about it. If I have a late assignment, I do the work that’s recently due first so that is not late, and then I focus on each class and do the late assignments after.

What other time or monetary responsibilities outside of work and school do you have?

Outside of work I am the president of UAT’s Art Club. Other than that, I do not have much more besides my various hobbies. I draw, I play videogames, I make videogames (for fun) and I also spend a lot of time with my friends going to new places and experiencing new things. 

Financially, how does working as a Student Ambassador support your life?

Working as a SA has helped a lot financially. I am now able to spend money where I need it and have leftovers to drop into my savings! It makes my personal life and responsibilities much more manageable.

Katherine working UATx with her friends and fellow Student Ambassadors, Skylar and Hunter.

Why did you want to work on campus instead of elsewhere?

My friend, Hunter, pushed me to get this job. At first, I was unsure because I did not think I would be a good fit as a SA, especially since at the time my grades were low, and I was struggling to keep my head above water. I thought about opening my commissions again, and just selling my art, but I knew it wouldn’t get me where I wanted to be financially. So, I looked into it more and I liked the idea of interacting with potential students and helping them along their journey to UAT. So, I took the interview and Ta-da! I am here now with a job I thoroughly enjoy doing! 

What is the best part about being a Student Ambassador?

Honestly, I like giving tours. I know I just got tour approved not long ago, but I love meeting new people and talking to them about their interests, showing them things that might interest them and showing off places around the campus I enjoy!

How do you stay on top of schoolwork?

I like to do my work on the days I am off and before they are due. If I do it this way, then I do not have to worry about coming home from work and needing to do project work on top of it.

Do you have any free time for other hobbies?

All the time! I constantly take time for myself to play video games, hang out with friends and just kick back and relax! I play video games most of the time since it is something that brings me a lot of peace and happiness. I truly feel at home when I can play games. Right now, I am currently playing the game “Hades” during my free time!

How does working while earning your degree help someone get where they want to go over if you were just working?

I feel like working anywhere at any time will give you a good experience, even if it’s not in your work field. You can learn valuable workplace skills like communication, teamwork, and management solutions. I believe being an SA is good for me because I can work on my social skills! It’s like a bonus when working while getting a degree, so not only are you gaining real-life skills but also the skills of your trade on top of it!

 Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I can only hope that in ten years I am doing what I love. I hope I am working on or have made a game that I am proud of and that many others can enjoy. Games have always given me a sense of release and happiness, so I hope in ten more years I can give many others that same sense of happiness.

What advice do you have for a prospective student who is concerned about balancing school with their work and other responsibilities?

I know this may sound crazy but just go for it! If you truly want it, then adapting to the new schedule of work and school will be like second nature. Just make sure to keep your chin high, work done on time, and give yourself the time to relax and have peace in your day-to-day life.

Looking for a student job? Check out the on-campus jobs available to students at UAT.

For students at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT), completing their Student Innovation Project (SIP) is the culmination of their hard work and dedication to their degree program. These projects are not only exciting for the students, but also to their professors who witness their progression and development. 

One such SIP is Mark Montenieri's Updatable Interior Mapping project. According to Professor Hue Henry, "It is a brilliant use of a cutting-edge technology to solve the problem of how to provide one of the most heavily-requested features in the MMORPG genre."

Professor Henry continued, "The use of cubemaps as a way to display interior spaces is a relatively new innovation in the game industry. Mark's project takes that to the next level by applying it to user-created spaces, such a player housing in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). However, these features are often prohibitively expensive. Mark's innovation makes it possible for many thousands, even millions of players to decorate and display their in-game homes in a way that is feasible with current MMO technologies and bandwidth limitations."

Read on to learn about how Mark arrived at the idea and his future plans. 

What is the purpose of your SIP and your claim to innovation?

My SIP aims to make in-game cities and towns appear more alive by offering updatable images instead of static pictures on storefront windows and doorways. It also benefits densely packed player housing, such as an apartment building, by removing the actual housing to another part of the map and only showing recently updated images overlaid on windows and open doorways. Players would approach the doorways and enter the associated room or apartment via a portal method, which teleports them to the actual room, far away. This helps game performance by only rendering the room for players inside it and not to everyone who walks by. Anyone who’s played a multiplayer game and entered an extremely busy arena or town has experienced lag from the game having to render the space for every player simultaneously and my SIP aims to improve that aspect of multiplayer gaming.

Watch his final presentation:

What inspired your project?

My wife and I used to play a game called Ultima Online (late 90s?), and we loved the player housing feature. As the game fell out of favor and changed to the point it was unrecognizable, we moved on, looking for a new game to play that still offered great player housing. Here we are, 20 years later and still haven’t found what we’re looking for, so I wanted to come up with an idea that would allow game-makers to offer housing while keeping lag to a minimum, since the number of people playing online games has skyrocketed.

What part of your SIP are you most proud of? 

The fact that this has never been done at scale in an MMO, at least to my knowledge, is what I’m most proud of and hope it’s something that may be incorporated into a shipping game one day.

What parts have been difficult and how did you solve the problems? 

I suppose the most difficult part is that my SIP uses the Unreal Engine. Since I started using/learning Unreal in 2017, I’ve been what I call a ‘Hobby-level programmer’, never rising to the point where I felt comfortable calling myself a game programmer. Learning Unreal Engine is difficult because it’s so complex, but being a student at UAT and having used the engine in multiple classes to create complete or near-complete games has helped my confidence and increased my proficiency quite a bit.

What are your future plans for the project?

For now, I’ll be sitting on the idea while I work on a larger project but may incorporate it as a feature before I ship. If it turns out that it’s not a good fit, I may create my own game that utilizes my SIP concept.

What are your plans after graduation?

Ah, the million-dollar question. Honestly, I’m not sure where my path leads, but having degree in hand should surely open doors previously unavailable to me. I look forward to exploring options and opportunities once my journey at UAT is complete.

Mark is graduating with his Bachelor Degree in Game Programming in Fall 2022. We're excited to see where he lands and his continued innovation after he leaves UAT!

Considering a career in gaming? Check out the following for more information about UAT gaming degrees.

> Game Art and Animation

> Game Design

> Game Programming

When students leave UAT, they typically aren't heading out to search for an entry-level opportunity. Our grads have invested their time here creating and innovating (on their own and through internships) to such a degree that a great job or entrepreneurship venture is a natural next step. 

Such is true for Randall Tatum, UAT alumni and Founder & CEO of Titanomachy Studios, LLC. Randall is an excellent example of how our students take what they learn and really go for it in the "real world". With a Bachelor’s of Art Game Design as well as a Master of Science in Production Management, Randall is not only achieving his dream, he is also helping others by advocating for independent developers in the game industry.

Randall Tatum, CEO of Titanomachy Studios

We caught up with Randall to ask what it's like owning his gaming company, plus to find out why he feels getting an education in an often do-it-yourself field helped him get to where he is now. 

Tell me about Titanomachy Studios.

Titanomachy Studios is a fully remote indie studio based out of Avondale, AZ and Stroudsburg, PA but with a team from around the globe. We are made up of people from all walks of life and backgrounds from Canadian pixel artists to English writers to UAT alumni programmers. We focus on creating game development. Our focuses are creating our own titles, like the upcoming SRPG, Condors Vs Ocelots, and Indie Publishing. We strive to make games that are fun and memorable experiences for everyone.

Who are the different people/positions who make up the Titanomachy Studios team?

Titanomachy Studios has a very diverse team from all walks of life and experiences. From the top: Ben S. – Web Developer; Tyler S. – Programming Lead; Tyler T. – Programming; Garrett H. – Programming; Merlin C. – Programming;  Hunter D. – Programming; Michael M. – Art Lead; Alethea H. – Artist; Peter G. – Artist; Yoorina S. – Artist; Ibrahim A. – Writer; Max S. – Assoc. Producer/Game Design; Jeremiah B. – Level Design; Colt B. – Level Design; Box Monkey Studios – Audio and SFX; Wayne D. – Finance/Legal; Randall T. – Project Lead/Producer

Hunter Derrick, Programmer at Titanomachy Studios

How did your education get you started on the path to your own company?

My education has simply enabled me to not only think in new ways, but also to give me a baseline on how things should or should not go based on my resources and effort. I used my degree to work in the field, but it wasn’t until I pursued my Master’s at UAT that I began to think about disrupting markets and being an entrepreneur and really just making my own path instead of following others. If it was not for the things I learned in my education, I would have been sorely prepared and educated on how to start and operate a business. 

From your personal experience, why is having an education in tech important?

I think that, an education is important for many reasons. Obviously the technical instruction in your desired field is possible, but more than that, learning new ways to think about and solve problems and situations has helped me immensely. Videogames, like any other technical field, is just that--technical. Having an education not only facilitates learning new ways of thinking, but it also instructs on at the very least the basics, so that doing your own skill polishing and “leveling up” is possible. 

Specifically, why is having a degree important in the game industry?

A degree in the game industry is important for the same reasons a degree in the medical field is necessary. Not to say that making video games is on par with saving lives; however, I certainly wouldn’t hire a career plumber to be my lead game designer when his education is in plumbing. It applies here. When I interview people to work with us at Titanomachy, a degree doesn’t get you the job. Merit does, however, when two applicants are equal, the game degree wins out in most cases. I know that that person is instructed and SHOULD know what I’m saying when I say it.

What advice do you have for prospective students?

If you have a dream, follow it. No one is waiting for you to pursue them so follow your heart and use your head to navigate. Otherwise, stay organized. School is hard work and preparedness cannot be underrated.

What advice do you have for graduating students looking to start their careers?

Your portfolio is the single most useful thing you can offer any place you apply to. Make it big, make it varied and make it good.

What is one of the most exciting moments of your career thus far?

Five years ago, we released our first ever title, Stacker. It was an abysmal mess of spaghetti code and disorganization. It was also the proudest moment of my career, because I had a dream, I took the steps, and I achieved it. That feeling is irreplaceable.

 

I had a dream, I took the steps, and I achieved it. That feeling is irreplaceable.

 

How has your experience been operating your business fully remote?

We started out remote, if for no other reason than to keep our overhead costs down. There are a lot of learning curves and communication barriers that are easy to forget, but critical issues arise from them often. There was a learning curve that I think would give most people a shiver or two, but after 5 years, when Covid came around, we were ready to stay safe, healthy and developing.

Michael Monchamp, ORU lead sprite artist at Titanomachy Studios

What is currently your favorite game?

​I am biased here because I think Condors Vs Ocelots is my favorite, but I have been enjoying Terraria, Legends of Runeterra, and Valorant.

What do you look for in games? 

I think what I look for the most in games is a compelling story and interesting mechanics. I come for the narrative, but stay for the awesome gameplay.

To find out more about Randall and Titanomachy Studios, visit their Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you Randall for your inspirational words! If you are a student or alumi and would like to share more about your experience, comment and let us know! 

Want to know more about our Game Studies Degrees? Email admissions@uat.edu to get started!

What is your major(s)?

UAT Students and Alumni Engage in Global Gam Jam 2022

Organized by Adam Moore, the jammers used Discord to communicate, form teams, and help each other out. The 2022 theme was Duality, with 16 games uploaded to UAT’s jam site at https://globalgamejam.org/2022/jam-sites/university-advancing-technology/games.

The Global Game Jam concluded on Sunday, January 30, at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time. Wrap-up included presentations and awards, followed by streaming the games on Discord.

The following are UAT’s site winners:

Best Design: Mirror Block 

https://globalgamejam.org/2022/games/mirror-block-6

Credits: 

Game Programmers: Darin Palermo, Lyndsey Boggs

Game Artists: Kaulana Lee, Lyndsey Boggs

Game Designer: Darin Palermo, Lyndsey Boggs, Kaulana Lee, Raul Montes

Best Art: Harm Charm

https://globalgamejam.org/2022/games/harm-charm-6

Credits: 

Art by Morgan Kitay and Nick Campbell

Design and Programming by Jeremy Johnston

Best Technical: Polarity

https://globalgamejam.org/2022/games/polarity-6

Credits:

Made by CatWithAKeyboard in less than 24h

Best Audio: NoThinkingThing

https://globalgamejam.org/2022/games/nothinkingthing-3

Credits: 

Development and Production credits to William Bailey and Wyvern Studios and Entertainment, LLC.

Art contributions made possible by Epic Games and Wyvern Studios and Entertainment, LLC.

Weirdest Game: A Shadow Named Nyct

https://globalgamejam.org/2022/games/shadow-named-nyct-4

Credits: 

Music, Art, and Code by Carter Brinkley

Great work to all of the jammers! And remember, you don’t need any experience to participate in these events. Be on the lookout for the next opportunity to join the fun—and games!

Considering a career in gaming? Check out the following for more information about UAT gaming degrees.

> Game Art and Animation

> Game Design

> Game Programming

History

UI started way back into the early games of Pac-Man They put scores and lives on the screen for players to see and they quickly learned that people loved seeing the info on screen. Making it more competitive for everyone and having a leader board. Later down the line they added color to games which made them feel more immersive. The first game that took the world by storm was the first legend of Zelda where they took UI to the next level by having many different weapons, items etc. where there was an inventory system showing items and interesting story plot. Over the decade Ui counited to evolve. When the first PlayStation hit and using CD-ROM technology people were able to have more space to add UI elements with buttons, numbers of markers to use in game and many more that we see today. When the development of 3D graphics came into the world a whole new UI challenge was at present. People were given the chance to work with three dimensions.

Types of UI

With a new type of UI made it switched to being in two groups. Diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic is sounds, objects that the player in game can see or effect themselves. An example of this is the player pressed a button to show the time to the character allowing them to react. Non-Diegetic is where it doesn’t affect the player at all and just shows up on the screen for the player. This could be health, money, points that just indicate things. In multiplayer No Diegetic is showing the player names that died in battle. There are also two more UI elements that we picked up over the years being Meta and Spatial. Meta Ui is where the elements only pop up when things happen at the time. An example is health bar in call of duty where health bar is not shown but when low on health the screen goes read in indicates you are close to death. The last on Spatial this is that it shows things in game like a line appears on the ground to show you to follow the road.

Conclusion

Over the last few years UI hasn’t changed much besides this and it became normal for most games to include these designs.

UAT Gamers Raised Funds and Spirits

On Saturday, November 6, 2021, UAT students and faculty participated in ExtraLife—a streaming fundraiser benefitting the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The UAT team was hosted by Professor Derric Clark, team captain in his third year of participation in ExtraLife. Gamers were able to stream as long or as little as they chose starting at 8:00 a.m. the day of the event, and although they individually raised the funds, they all worked together as one UAT team.

A total of 29 streamers signed up for the UAT ExtraLife team; 11 of those received at least one donation. According to Professor Clark, a total of 17 UAT streams were happening at one point or another, “A couple of those were a group, so 25-30 total people participated!”

Although the excitement of the weekend has ended, the fundraising actually continues through the end of the year. The UAT team already reached their goal of $2,700 on November 9—so the team has decided to carry on—raising their target donation to $2,900 for the Children’s Miracle Network and planning to stream again over Thanksgiving weekend.

“The students did an amazing job, and I cannot thank them enough for being a part of this event and supporting a great cause,” said Professor Clark. “I would also like to thank everyone for your support on all fronts; you made a difference in the lives of others!”

And for the students, the experience was good for both their education and character. According to streamer Taylor McKenzie, “The pressure of the stream is what I needed to keep me moving forward with my game development; it really helped! Receiving the donations and knowing they were going to a great cause also felt incredible and streaming for charity is moving its way into my schedule regularly. A push for my own motivation and helping others at the same time, why wouldn't I keep going?!”

Student Wren Martin also greatly enjoyed the event. “I truly felt honored to be a part of this experience,” they said. “As a content creator myself, my goal is to entertain, give people a reason to smile, and to help others who are in need. One of my goals has always been to participate in a fundraiser to raise money for charity by doing what I love—gaming. My goal was accomplished, my dream came true, and I am thankful for the experience that I had. I will 100% be doing this again.”

UAT is very proud of Professor Clark and the students who put their talents to use for this great cause. View the UAT team page at https://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=58496. There you can join the team, watch the streams, and make donations. Happy streaming!

Team Credits:

Name: Derric Clark

Online Name: Deconstruction Gaming

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/DeconstructionGaming/ 

Thought on the experience: It was great being part of a group willing to put time and effort into helping others. Jumping into all of your individual streams and watching you play and interact was amazing.

Name: Trevor Baughn

Online Name: TheGoatIsBetter

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/thegoatisbetter 

It was hectic, but really fun. Lots of fun jokes thrown between Boone and myself throughout our stream. We had a fairly consistent viewer-count too, so that was nice. If Boone is willing to come on with me for another sometime, I'd be hella down.

Name: Jordan Dunaway

Online Name: Dunaco

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/Dunaco 

I'm just doing what I do, why not stream it too.

Name: Jozlyn Nowak

Online Name: Luna748

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/luna748 

It was a lot of fun. I had run the Esports channel for most of the day and ran some on my own. It was a lot of fun, everything I had set up for The Wyverns and being able to promote a charity. I’ve been streaming for 4 years now and it’s nice that I've finally been able to do a charity event, I had been wanting to do one for a while.

Name: Joe Parisia

Online Name: Gorgonak

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/gorgonak 

It was fun! I wanted to start streaming for just that reason and I've always loved helping charities in the past. Combining them both together is that much better.

Name: Ryland Kealey

Online Name: Jazz Boy

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EBr2SGtYfSnwCVKj4yDqQ 

Super fun! loved playing Minecraft and making pixel art on stream! I can't wait to do this again some time!

Name: Ibrahim Al-Nassir

Online Name: Ian A. Narcisse (or Ian_NYC)

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/ian_nyc 

I had a fun time learning to stream on a new platform. It was also the first time I had to come up with things to do. It introduced me to a new way to practice 3D modeling, and that was especially fun.

Name: Taylor McKenzie

Online Name: Blubehriluv

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/blubehriluv 

I had a great time hanging out with folks and just speaking out loud the way I normally do in my head. The pressure of the stream is what I needed to keep me moving forward with my game development; it really helped! Receiving the donations and knowing they were going to a great cause also felt incredible and streaming for charity is moving its way into my schedule regularly. A push for my own motivation and helping others at the same time, why wouldn't I keep going?!

Name: Emily Szymanski

Online Name: Hok-Z

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/hokzii 

The team did wonderfully even though I severely miscalculated the time it would take—that's on me. They saw it through to the end and I wouldn't mind bringing them through another raid at some point. There's a possibility of that being streamed, too. Overall, a super fun experience.

Name: Wren Martin

Online Name: Reddbirb or ReddbirbLive

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/ReddbirbLive

I truly felt honored to be a part of this experience. As a content creator myself, my goal is to entertain, give people a reason to smile, and to help others who are in need. One of my goals has always been to participate in a fundraiser to raise money for charity by doing what I love—gaming. My goal was accomplished, my dream came true, and I am thankful for the experience that I had. I will 100% be doing this again.

Name: Donavan Potter

Online Name: HunterofOil

Channel Link: https://www.twitch.tv/HunterofOil/ 

I enjoyed the experience and enjoyed being given the opportunity to take part in helping a cause that was larger than myself. I started without a cash goal in mind, but simply wanted to bring awareness and raise as much from any charitable individuals who wanted to donate and have no problems doing this event again.

Retro gaming can be seen in a couple of different ways. The core of retro gaming is playing older games or games from a previous generation (human or console). So, what is the allure of retro gaming?

It starts out with nostalgia. It is common for people to long for the days of their youth as they grow into adulthood, or even pick up things they wanted but didn’t have as part of their childhood. The same can be said for other parts of adult life, such as the collector car market. There can be a bubble in collector cars that is about 30 years old, as these are the cars people remember that they have wanted or had in their younger days. Harkening back to a simpler, fun time with less responsibility has an appeal as well as an escapism quality.

As game technology moves forward, the older systems quit getting produced. While they are still available on eBay or Craig’s List, they are no longer being manufactured. This does create a scarcity in the market for original equipment. While game companies are now seeing this and release retro versions of hardware, compilation versions, and remakes of classic games, many want the feel of the original as part of the play experience. It is similar to those who like the feel of a book over a Kindle; for some, this improves the experience and the same can be said for these classic consoles, controllers, and games.

What games and hardware are the most important as an historic and personal side? From a personal perspective, the must-have system will be the one you grew up on. It may not be the best or most relevant, but it is the one that captures your heart. On the historic side, you have two things to consider.

First, there will be a group that likes to collect the odd ball or rare systems that exist. The Virtua Boy, the Power Glove, Sega Dreamcast or Saturn, Game Genies, or Atari Jaguar, to name a few, were not the best or most relevant but have a quirkiness that attracts collectors and players.

Second, from an historic standpoint, there are systems that helped define the industry. The Atari VCS (2600), the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) with R.O.B., the Game Boy, the Sega Genesis, the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox all can make a case as being industry and culturally relevant.

In the end, can you put a price on memories? Can you deny your inner child? Can you deny the future generation the core, great game experiences that still hold up in these older games and consoles? Good games are good games, and finding ways to keep them alive is good for gaming, good for gamers, and good for the future of the industry.

Considering a career in gaming? Check out the following for more information about UAT gaming degrees.

> Game Art and Animation

> Game Design

> Game Programming

Why Get A Degree in Gaming?

If you often find yourself daydreaming about fantasy worlds, diving into the digital depths of mystical lands, or engineering complex landscapes in your favorite games, then game design may be the career for you.

Gaming allows you to explore a limitless world of possibilities – both in terms of career potential and in exploring what’s possible in today’s digital frontier. You are able to explore your own creative potential and cultivate a lucrative, fulfilling career. At University of Advancing Technology (UAT), we open the door to gaming and design aficionados alike.

Is this a Good Career path?

Gaming is one of the most rewarding careers out there. While it can be challenging, the career outlook is good, with the job market expected to grow by 8% between 2016 and 2026.

The gaming industry as a whole has seen massive growth with no signs of slowing down. In fact, the games market is expected to hit $200 billion by 2024.

There are a few more reasons why gaming is a great career:

• Great creative outlet
• High work satisfaction
• Full-time and freelance potential
• Vast job prospects

Top 5 Gaming Careers:

1. Game Designer
2. Game Programmer
3. Special Effects Animator
4. Game Artist
5. Game Play Tester

UAT for Game Studies

UAT is known for innovation and we encourage our students to explore all areas of interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Our games studies degrees empower students to learn more about video game design, animation, game development and testing and much more. In fact, UAT’s Synchronic Learning Model promotes cross-collaboration across all other UAT game studies degrees, including Game Design, Game Programming, Virtual Reality and Game Production and Management.

UAT is an intimate, fully accredited University that focuses on educating students in advancing technology. Our goal is to encourage students to innovate, develop new ways of learning and enter their career field of choice with confidence.

Types of Gaming Degrees at UAT

There are many types of gaming degrees you can choose from, depending on your interests and career goals. Some tap into your creative skills, while others are heavy in computer science and programming. Gaming offers opportunities for both “right brain” and “left brain” students – the creative types and those who want to get their hands into computer technology.

Game Art & Animation

Students in our computer animation degree program get started with game development, 3D design and creating digital worlds for multiple video game platforms. Students learn to combine artistic principles (such as color theory, lighting, shading, anatomy and life drawing) with a mastery of today’s top software tools.

Game Design

UAT’s game design program has been named one of the top gaming programs in the world since its start in 2000. Game Design students focus on the design principles and game documentation and prototyping to create innovative game projects. Our program emphasizes skills such as systems design, game balancing, play-testing and interactive storytelling so students get a holistic, hands-on education.

Game Production (MS)

We also offer a Master’s level Game Production degree for those looking to hone their skills and prepare for a successful career in game production. This coursework covers in-depth game production principles, as well as the Business of Gaming and Marketing. Each program is designed to meet your needs, improve your individual skills, collaborate on community projects and learn real-world applications.

Game Programming

Our Game Programming degree helps students develop a broad coding skill set and prepare for a career in game programming. In this program, Game students master coding and programming principles, video game programming disciplines, C++ programming, data handling, game engine architecture, artificial intelligence and more. The result is a well-rounded, highly-applicable education that can be carried over into a rewarding career.

Where to Get a Game Studies Degree

So, you’ve decided to pursue a gaming degree – where do you start? Fortunately, you have many options available to you. We strongly encourage you to get a degree in your field, as this will help set you up for success and equip you with the skills needed to land a job after graduation.

Technical College

Technical colleges are career-specific and focus on the skills you need for your chosen career and less on general education courses. Technical college programs tend to be fewer than 4 years in total and graduate students with a degree, diploma, or certificate.

University Program

Another option is to earn a Bachelors or Masters degree at a 4-year university. This is a common path for those looking to get the full university experience and obtain a holistic education. At UAT, we offer a year-round game degree program that allows students to graduate in 3 years or fewer. Less time in school means you can enter the workforce and start earning a salary sooner than traditional 4-year schools.

Online Degree

There are a variety of online programs where you can learn more about video game design and programming or animation. Some examples include full-time or part-time courses, online bootcamp, or rudimentary courses. At UAT, we offer both online and flexible options for students wanting to learn remotely and on their time.

What Gaming Students Are Saying About UAT

It’s one thing to rattle off job prospects and salaries associated with a career in gaming, but another to hear directly from students what their experience has been in a game design program.

At UAT, we care about our students – from when they first begin their program until they land a job in their field. We do our part to set students up for success and this is evident in the reviews we get from our graduates.

Read testimonials from past and current Game Studies students:

“I've always loved video games and decided I wanted to study Game Art and Animation. When I found out that UAT was huge in game studies, I decided it was the right place for me. I love learning about my passion knowing that I'm starting my dream career now! The professors are so awesome and will make time to answer questions, give feedback and helping students whenever they can.” - Tina G

“The school computers have the entire Adobe suite, editing software, 3DS Max, and Maya installed on them. Not only that, if you get to know people, then you'll realize that they have connections like crazy and there are always networking events going on. I already have an internship and I'm only on my second semester!” - Andrew V

“When I finished my undergraduate program, I left UAT with a solid knowledge and understanding of what it took to make games and how to get that career path started.” - Joshua M

Get A Gaming Degree at UAT

UAT offers four game study majors - Game Art & Animation, Game Design, Game Programming and a Master’s in Game Production. If you have an interest in designing virtual worlds, creating unique characters and bringing animations to life, attending UAT may be right for you.

Request more information to learn more about our degrees and apply when you're ready to go for it. Game on!

Looters of the Arcane is a post-modern survival horror game where players travel to past eras to find mysterious objects. With the use of a Time Sphere, players can collect these objects for the antiquities company they currently work for in the distant future.

The purpose of the game is to find the arcane objects and sell them to the highest bidder. Because the lost objects are things that shaped the current world, the game has a surreal effect.

Creator Regis Jerry says this game is an “environment with a personality.” Also known as True PVE, this sets the game apart from other PVE games and gives it an innovative factor. The game’s AI gives the player a completely immersive experience through environmental challenges thrown at the player.

As a player levels up, the environment becomes more difficult to beat. This sense of differing personalities gives the player the ability to use the environment or let it hinder them. Visit places like Ancient Egypt, The Asylum, Ancient Greece and Feudal Japan.

Players can use guns and crosses found within the different environments to fight off elements of the environment that is trying to kill them.

You can play Looters of the Arcane on Steam for free.

Are you interested in the gaming industry? UAT offers degrees in Game Design, Game Programming and Game Art and Animation.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) is known for innovation—students take that to heart and are even inspired to rearrange their dorm rooms because of it. Ross Hall, Kevin Albregard, Darren Palermo and Andrew Weisenberger are a group of suitemates who decided to convert their connected bedroom suite into a sleeping room and a game room.

They moved all four desks into one room and the beds into the other room to create a paramount lounge and gaming space. The game room is filled with gaming systems and computers, making it the ultimate gaming man cave. They’ve set up an unmatched gaming experience that everyone on their floor wants to be a part of.

Interested in a future with gaming? UAT offers degrees in Game Programming, Game Design and Game Art and Animation.

University of Advancing Technology (UAT) students love unwinding with video games after a long day of classes and studying. Students thrive when they have a healthy school-life balance and playing cult classic video games is one way they relax while out of class.

Find your friends at UAT and chill out while playing the hottest, or longest running, video games. UAT is chock full of gamers, on and offline, physical and digital, with favorites like League of Legends, Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls.

Check out our Game Studies degrees!

Josue Espinoza Beltran (Game Programming) is an avid horror game player fascinated by the hair-raising environmental change effects that many horror games have. This has always mesmerized Josue for its ability to spin a game’s story and make the player question reality.

One day while playing, Josue got to thinking about the possibility of changing a whole character model as players approached non-player characters (NPC). Specifically, Josue wanted to bring a mind-bending aspect to monsters — players can see monsters in the distance, but as they approach one, the NPC morphs into a human form.

Once he got the concept down, Josue started experimenting within Unity, which led him to use the Level of Detail (LOD) technique to accomplish the character model change.

LOD is used with several game objects. Sometimes it’s used for the scene, like when trees, mountains and other non-moveable objects transition into the player’s field of view. It can also be used to update character models into better looking versions with more detail, as the camera focuses on the character.

The LOD technique allows the number of triangles rendered for a game object to be reduced, based on its distance from the camera. To use it, a game object must have a number of meshes with decreasing levels of detail in its geometry. These meshes are called LOD levels. The farther a game object is from the camera, the lower-detail LOD level is rendered. Game objects appear and disappear as the camera comes closer or moves away from the game object.

Josue made use of Unity’s LOD system not only for the traditional use of updating the triangles, but also to transition the 3D characters to different models as the LOD levels change.

For game programmers, polygons and the high level of detail required for character models are not easy to create, understand and change. Speaking from experience, the LOD system makes it easier and more efficient for game programmers to facilitate changing character models in video games. Last summer Josue proved it — he tried the same transition with programming before innovating the use of the LOD system. The results? He’s been more comfortable using the built-in LOD system — with three character model changes, the LOD system was time efficient and easier to maneuver.

In the future, Josue would like to work to deliver more polished transitions between character models, implement his prototype into a game and make Project Transition available for interactable objects in addition to character models.

Ready to take the game industry by storm? Check out UAT’s Game Programming degree.

For years, Michael Nicholson (Game Design, Game Art & Animation) has had the goal to better connect games with the streaming industry, and through his Student Innovation Project (SIP), he saw the opportunity to create that bridge.

Creators of the Dark is a co-op horror game built for interactive streaming through live interactive features. Users on streaming platforms, such as Twitch or Mixer, can connect their game, allowing viewers to participate and play alongside the streamer. Each viewer has a role and ability based on their status and ranking within the streamer's chat.

Where it All Started

Creators of the Dark started as a project geared towards helping partnered Mixer streamers earn more through Mixer’s monetizable currency, Ember. Each Ember is worth approximately a penny and partners keep roughly 10%, leaving little to be earned from Ember patronage. To earn a greater percentage, streamers need to reach certain milestones each week and increase viewer engagement, which requires viewers to watch for long periods of time. This also created competition amongst partner streamers for viewers.

Throwing a wrench in Michael’s project, Mixer shut down abruptly on June 22, 2020, forcing him to switch everything to Twitch, a different streaming platform. Mixer’s functionality had everything built in as a party plugin, used within Unreal, but Twitch doesn’t have the same functionality. Even though Twitch was more complicated to work with, Michael wasn’t fazed. He quickly jumped into learning about databases and plugins, integrating casting with blueprint actors, rewriting code from scratch, and redesigning aspects of the game.

There are only a few interactive games that support Twitch interactivity currently, but sadly, most of these games rely primarily on viewers voting and inspecting the results. Michael knew that he wanted viewers to participate rather than just spectating from the start. This is where the original design for Creators of the Dark came from.

Based on legends from around the world, Creators of the Dark is designed to be an interactive, four-player horror game where users try to escape a monster. Once streamers connect the game to their Twitch account, an array of options are unlocked for the viewers, allowing them to play alongside the streamer.

How Does the Game Work?

In each session, users are given a primary goal and two optional objectives to complete by using the stream chat to activate commands at the start of the game. These commands include abilities, AI prompts for each user, and participation in rituals, such as banishing the monster. The primary goal is modified depending on the status of the match. Once an objective is completed, active participants will be notified of what their next objectives are.

The viewer also has a set amount of spare energy that depletes with each activated command and also has the ability to use bits, a paid digital currency on Twitch, to multiply the effects of abilities or temporarily boost player stats. Alternatively, viewers can sacrifice their spare energy to activate these effects. One user’s action, or lack thereof, does not prevent another user’s action.

This supports the streamer by keeping their chat engaged and active, giving viewers a meaningful role as they launch and control their commands. This also encourages collaboration and individual effort among viewers.

How is the Game Different?

By allowing viewers to control the game’s AI remotely, they are no longer influencing the game's world or voting on what happens next, a common issue with interactive games on Twitch. Along with the streamer, viewers are directly engaging and completing gameplay objectives as if they were in the game.

There is a lot more to come from this project! Michael’s goal is to release Creators of the Dark to the public in the near future.

Take your passion project to the next level with a degree from UAT in Game Design!

Alessandra Caballero Sosa (Game Art & Animation) has always loved art and learning about art history. She has been fortunate to attend lectures on this topic, but that’s not the case for everyone. To create a more immersive learning experience for art and accommodate different learning styles, Alessandra created In Art.

In Art is a 3D environment created from famous paintings that enables the user to move around the 3D model painting and gather knowledge related to the artwork. To bring this vision to fruition, Alessandra recreated everything from the layouts, lighting and mood to matching the art style by imitating the technique through texturing.

Inspired by “the particular ambiance” in Vincent van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night (1888), Alessandra chose Impressionism for the prototype.

First, Alessandra had to conceptualize a 3D environment out of the 2D painting and used Google Maps to view the actual location to get a better idea of the physical layout. After drawing a couple of sketches, she used Maya to start creating assets and arranging the scene. She also decided to texture the objects with a base material she created to simulate brush strokes.

One of the trickiest aspects was getting the textures right. Impressionism has thick, heavy brushstrokes that appear as if done quickly. Using Substance Painter, Alessandra tried to recreate this in her material creation and integrated it into the 3D environment following the layout she previously created. She also limited the environment by using blocking volumes and a plane with texture that matched the original painting. Material creation alone didn’t emphasize the painted effect accurately enough, so Alessandra found a tutorial on post-processing effects, which gave the environment an enhanced brushstroke look that better mimicked the original painting.

Next, Alessandra developed the educational aspect of the project. She chose to create text pop-ups that would appear as the user moves around the scene, showing information and interesting facts about the artist and the painting. For this, she created a blueprint to make the pop-ups. At first, text appeared in the game, but post-processing made it hard to read, so she moved the text to the user interface.

Finally, Alessandra created a menu to navigate start, options, and quit to have a more complete prototype. Here, the user can choose different artists and paintings to view. She also created a start sequence to cinematically showcase the scene before the user enters around the painting.

Alessandra learned many new skills during the course of this project, including blueprints, user interface, menu functionality, and object interaction. The future ahead for this project and Alessandra is bright! This project can be used in K-12 schools, post-secondary education, and wherever art history is taught, such as museums.

Do you dream of creating the next best game? Check out UAT’s Game Art and Animation degree.

Hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Alayna Lecrone is a new student at UAT who is studying Game Design with a secondary focus in Game Art and Animation.

Alayna has loved gaming since the Atari days. Luckily, this love led to great skill and success as a professional esports player. Wanting to experience the other side of the industry, Alayna decided to pursue an online degree in Game Design.

Advances in online schooling allowed Alayna to live her longtime dream of attending UAT — originally intended to come in the late 2000s after graduating high school.

From designing a level for Unreal Tournament to making her own game in Unity Engine, Alayna has already accomplished things in gaming that she never dreamed of doing. “I loved gaming as a player,” Alayna says, “but there really is something magical about designing and building games from nothing.”

While she is no longer working in the industry, Alayna still really enjoys esports and watching competitions. In fact, she is the president of the UAT Esports Club. Outside of gaming, Alayna is a fan of cars, fashion and hockey.

Alayna finds creative inspiration from Andy Warhol and Alexander McQueen, whose artistic expressions have left an impact on this world. Alayna is also inspired by her grandma, who was caring, kind and helped shape Alayna into the person she is today by pushing her to do anything she put her mind to.

Alayna is a strong supporter of various change movements in the areas she is passionate about and states, “Being a transgender woman in this field isn’t necessarily uncommon in 2021, but I have to acknowledge the ones that came before me and dealt with adversity and discrimination and strived forward so I could be here today. I am proud of how far we have come and there is still so much more to do.”

Check out more game degrees at UAT!

Jake Fusco loves storytelling and has always been fascinated by how stories and lessons change as they are passed down. Combined with his interest in technology, this resulted in Jake triple-majoring in Game Design, Game Programming and Business Technology.

Jake chose UAT for the game development programs — he was instantly drawn to Game Design because he believes games are the best suited medium for storytelling and helping people learn. One of Jake’s goals is to teach others how to think in different ways about situations and hopefully change society for the better.

Jake also chose UAT for Synchronic Learning, which has resonated with how he tries to live life. While attending UAT, Jake learned that drive, teamwork and communication are paramount to the success of solving problems. Time and time again, these three qualities helped Jake succeed at work and in his classes.

While attending UAT, Jake has worked on numerous innovative projects along with making many lasting friendships. During his second semester, he joined the production studio class and is still working with the same team on a mobile AR game. Jake is the Geek Rho President, an RA at Founder's Hall and is in the midst of another project with BunchOfNerds, a student-run multi-media production company.

Jake’s hobbies include gaming with friends, being the Dungeon Master for Dungeons and Dragons, cooking and studying philosophy. Down the road, Jake intends to pursue his Master’s degree in Game Production and Management.

Jake draws inspiration from many noteworthy sources — George Lucas for his creative vision, Abraham Lincoln for how to deal with people coming from different worldviews and perceptions and Hirohiko Araki for his philosophy when writing stories.

Get the most out of your education with Synchronic Learning.