Industry impressed with VET Screen and Media students

Game design is more than just understanding mechanics and playing games.

Aiden L., and Mitchell W., chose to study Certificate III Screen and Media (Game Art Foundations) at Northern Adelaide Senior College from a childhood interest in playing games.

“It was a subject that I was interested in because obviously you grow up playing games and it peaked my interest to know how games were made,” says Aiden.

“When I was informed that not everything is how it looks with games, that’s when I was intrigued and I learned more about it in this class.”

The Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) visited NASC last Monday to provide valuable feedback on Certificate III student work in modelling and animation.

“Industry VET in schools, Sam, comes into class and facilitates conversations with Certificate III students to go through their game art work to ensure that work the students are completing are up to standards with the National Certificate,” says Toby, Academy of Game, Film & Animation teacher.

“So this is part of the annual auspice between Northern Adelaide Senior College and AIE and this would be our fifth year working with AIE, but our third year working with Sam.

“Sam’s been out pretty regularly three or four times per year, and once a year we go to AIE to host a session there at the college and students can get a feel what it’s like to study there and continue with AIE.”

Crystal F., a NASC student hoping to enter the field of game design and 3D modelling, says that having an AIE representative examine her work has been empowering.

“It was actually extremely helpful. He helped me to settle my concerns about the model I was making and how efficient it was I guess,” says Crystal.

“It was really reassuring because it’s someone who is actually in the industry and knows what standards there are in the course that you’re trying to fulfil.

“It was actually really helpful hearing it from the mouth of someone who has actually been there before and to give you genuine advice and guidance in what you’re doing.”

Sam, AIE Vet in Schools Marketer, agrees that coming to NASC has been an impressive experience.

“It’s been really positive. I think Toby and Ben have a good grasp on, not just doing what’s written as prescribed, but they go beyond in trying to build engagement with the students and utilising their own tools and technology to get as good results for the students as they can.”

If you’d like to enrol in the Academy of Game, Film and Animation, please call (08) 7285 1600 to find out more.