Opportunities explode for game development and gaming

05 Aug 2015 - 10:33:16 in Research
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10 years ago the stereotypical 'gamer' was a young male sitting in a basement hooked up to a computer for days on end. Nowadays, a gamer can be defined as loosely as 'anyone who plays games'. With the proliferation of games like Candy Crush Saga and Farmville, alongside 'serious’ games such as League of Legends and Skyrim, that definition now includes almost everyone.

As new technology, better graphics, and more powerful computers are developed there's never been a more exciting time to be a gamer.

Kieran Carnegie, Computer Science PhD student and leading member of Victoria University's Engineering Club, is particularly interested in how the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality device, can be used for gaming, and other scenarios.

“When you use the Oculus Rift you honestly believe that you have been transported into a virtual world,” he says. “Research shows it's effective in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and phobias through desensitisation therapy; you can also teach someone to drive, or how to be a tour guide using virtual maps.”

Kieran believes you can build a serious career around gaming, and New Zealand has a flourishing games industry.

“Companies like PikPok in Wellington, Gameloft in Auckland or Epic Games in Christchurch create opportunities for gamers to work in the industry. These companies are constantly looking for new talent. There's a very attractive company culture for gamers,” says Kieran.

When it comes to gaming at Victoria, it’s not all work and no play either.

Kieran says many Engineering and Computer Science students were gamers before they came to university, and now they have an outlet to continue their hobby. The Victoria Engineering Club hosts LAN parties where students connect online and play against each other.

“We facilitate tournaments for League of Legends, Dota 2 and Harvester and arrange team creation nights. Occasionally we get sponsorship from one of the big gaming companies who supply 'swag'. There have been New Zealand-wide events which the VUW team has competed in too, such as last year's Winter Championships hosted by Riot Games and this year's Oceanic Collegiate Championships.”

For those that are really good it can also offer an unexpected career path.

“The United States government already offers athletes' visas for eSport players and there are international tournaments with serious prize pools of millions of dollars. There are even opportunities to become a pro-player and earn a salary by both playing in tournaments and sharing gaming tips with other enthusiasts online.”

To keep up with gaming tournaments and opportunities for ECS students, check out:

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaEngineeringClub

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