Video Games Created by Design and IT Students as the Highlight of Game Night Event
Game Night
Video games developed by students were available for the public to play at the Game Night event. The open game night brought together students, staff and others interested in game development and showcased what can be achieved through multidisciplinary education in a relatively short period of time.
It was quite intensive three weeks, but we were able to create something that we can now showcase to everyone here on stage, says design student Tilda Hietanen.
Game Night was organized by design students as part of their event production studies. The event provided a natural, low-effort opportunity to present games and make them accessible for the public to experience.
Games Created Through Collaboration for the Public to Play
The games were created as part of coursework through multidisciplinary collaboration. The game project was part of third-year profiling studies and was therefore freely selectable for students. Teams consisted of students from IT, who were responsible for the technical implementation of the games as part of the Game Engine Development module, while design students contributed to game’s visual design and user experience.
Students from both Finnish- and English-taught degree programmes took part in developing the games, representing a total of four programmes: Smart and Sustainable Design, Älykäs ja Kestävä Muotoilu, Computer Applications and Tietojenkäsittely.
In the beginning we had an idea that we would build the bomb kind of thing, but we realized that we could use that as a mini game for this game, so we stuck with this space cowboy theme”, says design student Anka Kaldenecker about her group’s game Space Escape.
In addition to Space Escape the event featured the games Green Leaf Tavern, The Conductor and Roadenrage.
Game Development as a New Area for the Smart and Sustainable Design Degree Programme
For the design students, game development represented a new area in their studies. Their primary responsibility focused on the visual design of the games while computer applications students handled programming and technical implementation. Decisions regarding the concept, theme and user experience were made collaboratively between the teams and the final solutions emerged as a combination of different fields of expertise.
We were working in the team of five people, two of us was doing the design for the game and we had three IT students who worked with us and coded the game, design student Anka Kaldenecker explains.
From a design perspective the project offered an opportunity to apply skills in a new context and to see how ideas and visual solutions transform into concrete, playable games. Collaboration with IT students also strengthened understanding of the overall game development process and the importance of different roles in it.
Real event for the real audience
The Game Night event brought the games out of the classroom and directly to the public. Visitors were able to play the games developed and designed by students. The event functioned both as a learning experience and as a community-building leisure activity.
The game project and the Game Night that followed demonstrate how multidisciplinary collaboration, hands-on work and concrete results support learning. Altogether the project made video game development approachable not only for students but also for a wider audience.
Photos: Anka Kaldenecker
