NextGen students at Sunderland College recently presented a range of creative projects and products to industry experts at a special event.
The students, who are studying Animation, Games Design and VFX, showcased their work to Dan Baird, Director and Production Lead at immersive design studio INFINITY27.
Earlier this term, the aspiring creators were tasked with completing a real-world task as part of a project-based learning initiative which brings the classroom and world of work closer together by enhancing students’ employability, teamwork and communication skills.
In just four weeks the teams researched, conceptualised their ideas and finalised their products, with Dan offering positive feedback on the high quality of work on display.
He said: “I felt that the first-year students had created some promising work and had great attitudes whilst the second years had some fantastic market-ready products. All round it was a huge success.”
The brief for first year students was to create a Halloween inspired game as a team which provided a real challenge as it was the first experience of game development for many of the students. The project enabled them to learn about the full game development pipeline and processes used in the industry.
Meanwhile, the second-year students explored the theme of ‘recycle’ through their microgame projects, building on their game development knowledge to create a more professional and polished game and enhance their ability to collaborate on live briefs.
Matt Lawson-Hall, NextGen Programme Leader, added: “Our students represented themselves and the college well and I would like to congratulate them on their presentations and amazing work.
“We strive to develop reflective practitioners who see the value of learning from things that didn’t go so well and not just their strengths.
“A huge thank you to the inspirational Dan Baird for giving up his time to come along and meet our students who responded well to his feedback and gained a deeper understanding of what they have achieved over the last four weeks.”
INFINITY27 is an immersive design studio based in Gateshead’s PROTO emerging technology centre, which creates interactive 3D content for immersive and real-time experiences.
As well as working on commercial projects, the company is committed to developing the next generation of industry talent through the PROTOGÉ programme, offering work placements to several Sunderland College students in the past year.
One of the college’s very first NextGen graduates, James Rafferty, is a member of INFINITY27’s immersive team, joining the company after gaining a BA (Hons) in Computer Games Art from Teesside University.
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98% of our students progress to a positive destination
(*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).
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We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study.
(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)
We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.
