Education

Sunday June 4, 2006

Taking gaming seriously

The interactive media and video games industry is becoming an increasingly viable career option, discovers SHARMILLA GANESAN, when she catches up with practitioners in the field during a video game symposium.

HIGH-SPEED car chases, thrilling battles with mythical creatures, slick martial arts moves – these are all part of the video game universe.

Imagine going to class everyday and learning about video games, be it in conceptualising it, creating the animation or writing the necessary programming.

Many tertiary students around the world are now doing just that, when they opt for courses such as electronic games or interactive media, which offer more diverse alternatives within the information technology (IT) sphere.

Digital games such as Forgotten Realms: Neverwinter Nights have enhanced the popularity of the interactive media. --Pic courtesy of Dragonback Media Interactive
The Asia Europe Video Games and Interactive Media Symposium 2006 recently held at the MSC Innovation Centre, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) in Cyberjaya, demonstrated the potential of this field for growth in the Asian region.

Attended by interactive media, video games and multimedia companies, software publishers, animation studios, schools and universities from France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, the three-day event was an excellent opportunity for exchanging knowledge and ideas on the future and direction of the industry.

No child’s play

One of the main issues brought up at the symposium was that, despite the enormous potential of the interactive media industry, it is difficult to elevate the field to international standards.

The reasons cited for this difficulty range from the lack of talent in the region to the problem of piracy.

During his session on the challenges of developing the industry in Malaysia, MDEC creative multimedia department’s industry development consultant Hasnul Nadzrin Shah emphasised that they expect the video game industry to grow to RM36mil by 2007, with the 18 to 34 age group accounting for 42% of the market.

A background in fine art is important to create character art such as these from the digital game Splinter Cell. --Pic courtesy of Dragonback Media Interactive.
“Gaming is an interesting tool that can be used to train, educate, entertain and provide access to information. One of the challenges standing in the way, however, is the lack of talent.

“We do not have enough employees coming in with the necessary knowledge and experience to take the field forward. Skills development is an issue related to this,” said Hasnul.

Another area of concern was that of content for the games and interactive media.

“Developing creative content and intellectual property will be key points of focus for the MSC over the next five years,” said Hasnul.

Creative director Kevin Larken, who is with the Malaysian-based Southeast Asian game developer company GameBrains, agreed that the industry in Malaysia required more content creators before it could expand.

“When deciding who to hire, I ask for a portfolio. Qualifications are important, but experience counts too; a background in fine art is especially useful,” he said.

Interactive entertainment service provider Dragonback Media Interactive Sdn Bhd president Josh Galloway said he also looks for people from technical or engineering backgrounds.

“We need people who are not only creative, but can think through problems and come up with solutions,” he said.

New paradigms

Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Multimedia Entrepreneurial Research, Education and Creativity Laboratory’s (MERECL) speaker Cedrick Chan said the interactive media and multimedia scene in Asia was exciting because it was as yet undeveloped.

Chan (right) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Multimedia Innovation Centre’s director Dr Gino Yu looking at characters from the animated series Saladin, which was created by MDEC. --Pic by Joel Chan
“Most of the people in the industry are young, and the field is new,” said Chan, whose credentials include working with Industrial Light and Magic on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.

“This newness is both its strength and weakness. There is definitely talent in the region, and ideas that people can draw from.”

He stressed, however, that in Asia, people needed to establish their own identities and come up with more unique content.

“The film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a good example of how coming up with an original Asian concept can attract international attention. It is when Asians imitate the West that they don’t get noticed,” said Cedrick.

This is where education institutions play a vital role, he added.

The session by academic institutions suggested that most programmes by Asian institutions are still in their infancy, especially when compared to established schools such as Supinfogame and Ecole des Metiers de la Creation Infographique in France, which appeared to be ahead of Malaysia in terms of technique and quality, as well as in content creativity.

HELP University College president Dr Paul Chan said that for the industry to grow, it was important to harness students’ creativity effectively.

“Institutions should not just impart knowledge in an old-fashioned way, but should use the latest technology to teach and give ideas to the new generation. It is our duty to use the latest paradigms in thinking,” said Dr Chan, who was present at the launch of the symposium together with Asia Pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD) director Dr Javad Mottaghi and French Embassy cultural counsellor Catherine Feuillet.

Other Malaysian institutions that presented at the conference were Tunku Abdul Rahman College, Multimedia University and Limkokwing University College.

The event was jointly organised by HELP University College, AIBD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the support of MDEC and the International Game Developers Association, Malaysia Chapter.

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