Create a Game Introduction

On the Wednesday before classes officially started we had the introduction to our semester: Create a Game.

This semester program counts as a minor for the students at HAN. Students here are mainly split it to two groups: the communication students and the information technology students. Both can take this minor.

The first half of the semester is set up for lecture. Students have to choose two of three courses to attend. The last half of the semester is actual implementation of the techniques learned during the first few weeks in the courses. All students will have to create a concept for a game and in the end, two will be chosen and implemented.The three main courses for Create a Game are as follows. You must attend two of the three.

1. Game Art - This course is for the communication students only.
The subject Game Art focuses on the visual design of 3D worlds and objects with the help of 3D Studio Max. You will get a broad introduction to this very wide and complex area. Another important topic you will learn about is the story within a game (interactive storytelling). You may choose to specialise in the area of sound in games or the design and creation of animated characters.
Description from the Create a Game website.


2. Game Play - This course is for both communication students and information technology students.
The subject Game Play teaches you the principles of both game play and level design. Game play deals with game concepts like game rules and game experience, which includes cognitive and psychological aspects. It also covers play modes and the use of film techniques, sound and music.Level design deals with the representation of space, terrains and various actors. Some of the themes covered are triggers, movers, lighting and teleports. You will use a current Triple A game engine with a level editor. During this subject you will analyse existing games, design your own game and help to create a game.
Description from the Create a Game website.


3. Game Development - This course is for information technology students only.
   The subject Game Development deals with game development techniques, such as the use of game engines. You will also be trained in basic mathematical and physical principles underlying realistic games, for example the motion of falling or colliding objects. You will also learn about artificial intelligence in games.
   Description from the Create a Game website.

After the first half, all of the students (both communication and information technology students combine) will be split up into two groups to work on a game concept duringGame Project. Description from the Create a Game website:

During the Game Project you will cooperate with a large team of students from mixed nationalities and backgrounds on one large game product. You will start with brainstorming sessions to determine what kind of game you want to develop. You will then work in smaller multidisciplinary teams on one of the game parts or aspects.Some of the teams will work on a specific game level, other teams work on level independent aspects such as the game story or the graphical user interface.As well as the development teams, there will be a management team and an integration team, both consisting of representatives from the development teams. Within about 8 weeks, you will experience a complete development process from the initial concept to the final test product.
Description from the Create a Game website.

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Personal note about my experience during the introduction to the semester:

The teachers first pointed out that there were international students from America and Finland so now we stick out like a sore thumb. Then they showed a video of a past semester with students talking about their experience and clips of the game they created and different areas of development. It was very impressive and started the intro off really well.

Next came presentations from the teachers on what we could expect in the different courses. During the teachers presentations, nearly the entire room of students were having their own conversations which made hearing the teachers very difficult. It was really odd to see such a lack of respect and acknowledgment for the person presenting. I was surprise and quite frustrated at the same time. I remembering thinking I was going to be in BIG trouble if this is how the classes were going to go.

Another frustration for me was being an international student who doesn't know the country's official language: I couldn't understand many of the questions being asked by the students or the answers they received as that was all in Dutch.

They did one part in Dutch that we were told was only relevant to the Dutch students that were attending HAN for four years. At the time I really wanted to know what was being said even though it wasn't supposed to apply to me. We found out the following Monday that they did forget to mention some key information in English when we attended our scheduled afternoon course. We walked in joking about how the class we were headed to was "probably going to be in Dutch." When we sat down and looked at the PowerPoint at the front of the class, the title slide was in Dutch. Then the teacher started speaking and that was also in Dutch. After an embarrassing moment when the teacher asked me a question and I told him I didn't understand a word he was saying, we found out that during the part that was in Dutch in the intro, they had stated that only Dutch students would need to attend this class because it is specific to requirements they have for their 4-year program. So then we were excused to leave.

But other than that, the introduction, or at least the parts that I could hear, was really cool.

Create a Game website: http://www.han.nl/opleidingen/exchange-courses/create-a-game/