News from BTEC ND Games Development
Tom M wins Video game quiz
Date 24/06/09
After a series of tense rounds Tom M defeated Jonathan, Luke and Bradley in the Video game quiz final to claim the title of gaming legend. The first few rounds saw the lead swap several times. However the Pie Fight round saw Tom dominate, winning 5 of the 6 questions and closing the gap on Jonathan. Some brave betting in High Stakes saw the scores become closer and as the contestants entered the Final Countdown round there was little between them. However as the final played out Jonathan started to dominate and Luke and Bradley were quickly eliminated. As the final progressed Jonathan took a seemingly unassailable lead and Tom was quickly left with very little time. As the final questions appeared Tom didn't have time to read and could only press a random button and hope. He instantly pressed Blue and was rewarded with the correct answer, whilst Jonathan chose incorrectly. Tom then guessed Orange and was once again rewarded with the correct answer, whilst Jonathan was again incorrect. At this point Jonathan's time was dwindling but he still had a few seconds more time than Tom. On the final question Tom guessed Green and was correct for the third time, whilst Jonathan once again chose wrongly and was eliminated. Three pure guesses with zero time remaining granted Tom an unexpected win.
Year 2 students complete
Date 05/06/09
James and Zach are the first Year 2 students to complete all of the assignments for Games Development. With only three weeks to go all of the Year 2 Games students are nearing completion and over the next week it is expected that the majority will have completed their final pieces of work. Expected grades are high and it is hoped that all of the students will achieve the grade required for their first choice University.
Alton Towers trip
Date 04/06/09
The end of year trip to Alton Towers proved a popular choice. The trip included 35 students from Games Development Year 1 and 2, and AS Media. The weather was great and the park wasn't too busy. As we arrived at park opening, most of the students had the time to go on the Big-4 (Oblivion, Nemesis, Rita and Air) as well as several other attractions. The Flume and Congo River Rapids proved a popular way to cool down!
University of Huddersfield talk
Date 06/05/09
Damian De Luca, from Huddersfield University, visited the College to talk to the Year 1 Games Development students. Damian discussed the wide range of courses available at the University and showcased several examples of students' award winning work. Our students were very impressed by the quality of the courses at the University and the talk was enjoyed by all. A visit to the University will be arranged in the coming months.
Applications for 2009 - 2011
Date 30/04/09
Recruitment for the new intake of students on to the Games Development course is going well and it is expected that we will enroll around 30 students - split into two groups of 15. If you are interested in the course we would recommend that you apply as soon as possible. However we are willing to consider applications until the end of August.
External Verifier visit
Date 18/02/09
The Games Development course has once again had a successful Edexcel External Verifier visit and the course has been released. This allows us to submit our final grades to Edxecel and ensure that our Year 2 students receive their final grades in time to accept their university places. The External Verifier was very impressed by the standard of work and the level of detail within the reports.
Disneyland Resort Paris trip
Date 02/02/09 - 05/02/09
27 students and 3 staff braved the wintry weather to journey to Disneyland Resort Paris. Staying at Disney's Cheyenne Resort for 3 nights, the students enjoyed two full days in the Disney parks - Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Park - and attended two special lectures featuring Disney cast members.
Despite the freezing weather, arduous journey and expensive food, the trip was highly enjoyable, with the favourite attractions being Space Mountain 2, Tower of Terror, Crush 's Coaster, and Rock n Roller Coaster. More photos can be seen here.
Schedule for Disneyland trip
Date 22/01/09
Departure - Monday 2nd February 2009
Meet at Wakefield College, Thornes Park Campus by 04:10 am
The coach will depart promptly at 04:30 am - this can not be extended as we have to pick up students from another College and catch the Ferry
Please ensure that you bring your passport!
Return – Thursday 5th February 2009
Arrive at College approximately 23:45 (may be delayed due to traffic)
National Media Museum, Bradford
Date 04/12/08
Next Tuesday (9th Dec) we will be visiting the National Media Museum, Bradford. We will be departing the College at 9:00. If you are making your own way there you need to meet us at the museum at 10:50.
The bus leaves at 9:37 from Stand 22 at Wakefield Bus station going to Stand G Bradford Interchange. The journey takes 1 hour 07 minutes.
If you are traveling by train, Bradford is in Rail Zone 3, same as Wakefield, but it looks like you have to go into Leeds to get the train to Bradford which means going through zone 2 and 1. If anyone does get the train they need to make sure they get the train to Bradford Interchange (bus & train station, near the NMM) not Bradford Forster Square.
New site
Date 03/12/08
The new website has now been launched. The site has been designed and produced by blu-box creative (www.bluboxcreative.co.uk) from the HND Interactive Media course (www.hnd-interactive-media.co.uk). The new site and branding is much stronger than the previous site, and will hopefully have a positive effect on enrolment, and enhance the current students' experience.
I'd like to thank the blu-box team for all of their hard work, and hope that they didn't find me too difficult a client.
New software
Date: 28/11/08
The new Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium software is now installed on all 40 PCs within the Games Studios. The suite includes: Dreamweaver CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Photoshop CS4 Extended, Illustrator CS4, Fireworks CS4, Acrobat 9 Pro, Soundbooth CS4, and Contribute CS4. We have also received our two new scanners, 4 digital cameras and 2 graphics tablets.
New rooms!
Date: 03/11/08
We've now moved! The new PCs are installed and the two adjoining rooms are now in use. There are still some jobs to be completed, but so far the move has been great. The walls have already been decorated with posters and examples of student work will soon be exhibited. We have our own private access via a newly opened staircase, and exclusive use of the best spec PCs in the college. In Studio 1 we have 19 Intel Core 2 Duo 6420 2.13GHz PCs, 3GB Ram, with the Nvidia 8800 GTS graphics cards and 19" monitors, whilst in Studio 2 we 21 new Intel Core 2 Quad (Q9300) 2.5GHz PCs, 4GB Ram, with the ATI FireGL V5600 Graphics cards and new widescreen 19" monitors. We are currently waiting for Adobe Photoshop CS4, Flash CS4 and Dreamweaver CS4 to be delivered and installed, as well as two more scanners, graphics tablets and digital cameras.
Studio 1
Studio 2
New rooms imminent!
Date: 30/10/08
Our move to the new rooms is due to happen on Monday 3rd November. The new rooms has been painted, new interactive whiteboards installed, a separate staircase opened up, new desks bought and set up and 20 new PCs installed. The specs of the new PCs are:
- Intel Core 2 Quad (Q9300) 2.5GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6M Cache CPU
- 4GB 800Mhz DDR 2
- 80GB SATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive
- 320Gb SATAII 7200rpm 16mb Cache Hard Drive
- Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium, PCIE x1, 7.1 Surround Sound
- Hewlett Packard ATI FireGL V5600 512MB PCIe Graphics (Autodesk Certified)
- LG 1942P 19-Inch Silver Bezel, DVI, Pivot, Height Adjustable, TFT Monitor
Photos of the new room will be posted shortly.
Royal Armouries, Leeds
Date: 22/10/08
All of the Year 1 students visited the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The purpose of the visit was to help the students with the "Drawing Concept Art for Computer Games" unit. The students spent the day looking at and sketching the weapons, armour, poses and costumes of the exhibits.
The visit also coincided with the "Arms & Armour from the movies" exhibition which features costumes from "The Lord of the Rings", "The Chronicles of Narnia", "King Kong", "The Last Samurai" and "Hellboy", all produced by Weta.
Click here for more photos
New students
Date: 08/10/08
Alec joined the course today, having transferred from Graphics. Kieron has also joined. Both students have joined group G.
Disneyland Paris funding
Date: 07/10/08
The College International Visit Fund has kindly allocated £1250 to help with the costs of the Disneyland Paris trip. This money will help to reduce the costs for the students and cover any other costs that may be incurred. The money will be then divided equally amongst the students in order to reduce their final payment.
Currently there are 29 students and 3 staff booked to go on the trip. 3 other students may also be confirmed in the next 2 weeks.
Team 17 talk
Date: 01/10/08
Two members of Team 17 visited the course today to talk to the Year 1 Games Development students about working in the games industry and the processes involved in designing and developing games. The talk was highly informative and great fun.
New member of staff
Date: 31/09/08
A new member of staff has joined the Games development team. Rachel will deliver the 3D Modelling, 3D Environments and project units.
University of Teesside trip
Date: 25/09/08
The Year 1 Games Development students attended a Games day at the University of Teesside. During the day the students created a game level using the Unreal Games engine, listened to a talk about careers in the Games industry, and had a look around the new facilities at the University. The trip was a huge success and all of the students found it both informative and fun.
Disneyland Paris trip - update
Date: 23/09/08
26 students have now paid for the Disneyland Paris trip. Another 3 may pay at a later stage. As 20 students have now been confirmed the booking will be made. In the coming weeks I will post room allocations (after discussing with the students) and further details.
Could all those students who have paid their deposit please ensure that they have a valid passport and a European Health Insurance Card (free from www.ehic.org.uk).
Year 2 return
Date: 08/09/08
All of the Year 2 Games Development students have returned for Year 2. This maintains their retention at 100%.
Disneyland Paris trip
Date: 08/09/08
Following discussions with the students it has been decided that we will explore the possibility of an international trip to Disneyland Paris.
The trip will include:
- Return coach travel from the college to Disneyland Resort Paris
- Return Channel crossings via Eurotunnel or ferry
- Three nights' accommodation at Disney's Hotel Cheyenne, on-site at Disneyland Resort Paris, based on three sharing a room (single sex rooms only)
- Continental breakfasts
- Two day Hopper Ticket for both Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park
- Three curriculum-led education sessions featuring: Case studies, Live interviews with key Disneyland® Resort Paris managers
Exclusive subject specific, behind-the-scenes video footage, filmed by Study Experiences at Disneyland® Resort Paris, Question and answer session, Student 'Certificate of Attendance'
We will stay at Disney's Hotel Cheyenne, one of Disney's uniquely themed on-site hotels. The accommodation is of an excellent standard; all rooms have a double bed and two bunk beds and private bathrooms.
The trip is scheduled for Monday 2nd February - Thursday 5th February. Depending on the group size, the students will be accompanied by a minimum of two teaching staff, including one male and one female.
The total cost of the trip will be £235 per student. To secure the booking we ask that a deposit of £30 per student be paid by Wednesday 24th September. The College will hold this deposit until a minimum of 20 students has paid.
If we do not have 20 interested students then the trip will be rescheduled and the deposits repaid. Whilst in Disneyland Resort Paris the students will need to pay for their meals, excluding breakfast. Everything else is included in the trip price.
To reserve a place on the trip please contact Mike for a deposit form. The remaining balance of £205 will be payable by Friday 28th November 2008.
Life Drawing
Date: 05/09/08
An additional NCFE Life Drawing course is being made available to the BTEC ND Games Development students. This will be a 60 hour course spread over 35 weeks. Any Games Development students interested in enrolling on the course should speak with Mike.
The course will be invaluable to those hoping to study / pursue a career in Animation, Concept Art, or Games Design. The course will start on Tuesday 16th September 9:00 - 10:30 and 10:30 - 12:00. It will be delivered by Kat.
We're moving!
Date: 02/09/08
Due to the large number of students it has been decided that we will be moving to a new double room. The room is currently being kitted out with new PCs, equipment and desks. Once complete we will be based in two adjoining specialist rooms that are exclusive to the Games Development course.
There will be some disruption to the timetable over the next two weeks. However the move will improve the course and provide the students with a more vibrant environment and better access to computers outside of the timetabled sessions.
Enrolment
Date: 1/09/08
Enrolment has now taken place and 33 students have enrolled on the course. Due to the large number of students, the group will be split into two groups. New timetables will be produced in the next week.
The first day of induction has proved successful, and all seem to be looking forward to the games day, tomorrow, where we will find out who the best games player is. The two groups are as follows:
Group A
- Thomas M
- Jamie F
- Joseph G
- Zak F
- Blob
- Emily
- Alex B
- Ricky C
- Jamie P
- Sebastian
- John M
- Jonathan H
- Jez
- Jamie L
- Jessica
- Tom F
Group B
- Brad
- Matthew R
- Luke W
- Stephen W
- Nathan O
- Matthew F
- Adam B
- Robert T
- David M
- Danny R
- Benji
- Michael N
- Daniel W
- Matthew G
- Ben C
- Archie
- Lewis
Site launch
Date: 14/08/08
Here it is. I've now started work at Wakefield College and am starting to get everything ready for start of the new year. The course has been redesigned and I'm excited about the coming year. I've finally been able to timetable all of the units that I think will make the best course, and feel that we have the potential for a great course.
Many of the assignments have been decided upon, teaching material is ready for most units, guest speakers have been contacted and I'm looking at planning an international trip - possibly to Disneyland Paris.
As you are no doubt aware, the new Games Development website has finally launched. Over the next few months content will be added. For an example of what the site will become take a look at www.btecimedia.co.uk.
New enrolments
Date: 14/08/08
Enrolment for the BTEC ND Games Development course will take place on Thursday 28th August, 10:00 - 4:00. Applications and acceptances have been high and we are expecting 27+ students to enroll on the course. If you are hoping to sign up for the course please try to ensure that you attend this date and bring along your GCSE results / certificates.