Inteview with Jason Chu, Chief Operating Officer - International, DigiPen Institute of Technology







 

 

     





By AMRITA VALECHA

| 
13 November, 2009 - 14:11




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What have been the latest                        developments at DigiPen?
 We have recently started a collaborative effort with Ubisoft                        Singapore and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency                        (WDA) that provides future game developers with an opportunity                        to obtain specialized education taught by DigiPen at its                        Singapore campus. With tuition fees subsidized by the WDA                        under the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience                        (SPUR*), qualified students are taught by DigiPen Singapore                        in three full-time Professional Conversion Programs (PCPs)                        in Game Programming, Game Art (environment modeling or character                        animation), or Game Design, with Ubisoft Singapore joining                        DigiPen in guiding the students in the game production process.


By blending the industry                        experience from Ubisoft with the established academic excellence                        of DigiPen, this Campus training program aims to provide                        students with the necessary knowledge and industry production                        experience that they need to join the competitive video                        game industry.


Could you tell us about                        your affiliations with any studio?
 At our Redmond campus,                        employers return every year to meet our graduating students                        at our annual Career Day, where they can view graduate portfolios,                        play student-made games, conduct onsite interview and liaise                        with our career support staff. Some of the companies that                        our graduates have worked for are: Bungie, Arena.net, Valve,                        Nintendo, Microsoft, Zipper Interactive, Snowblind Studios,                        EA, Gas-Powered Games, Dreamworks, Sony, LucasArts, Rhythem                        & Hues, etc.


At the Singapore campus,                        we have also been working closely with the other major industry                        leaders and we look forward to being able to help our students                        obtain internships and employment opportunities. Some freshman                        students have obtained internship opportunities with the                        Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), a member of the Agency                        for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) family, and                        Ubisoft Singapore during the summer break in 2009.


What were the reasons                        for DigiPen to choose Singapore as its first international                        campus?
 There are many                        reasons to choose Singapore. English is used throughout                        Singapore and this allows us to integrate into the environment                        very easily. The educational materials are directly usable                        without the need to translate into a different language.


The Singapore government                        is supporting the growth of the game and interactive digital                        media industries with a very well designed plan. This is                        apparent in seeing the work done by the Economic Development                        Board, the Media Development Authority, the Infocomm Development                        Authority, and the Workforce Development Agency, as well                        as the cooperation of the other government agencies. There                        is a common agreement that the game and creative industries                        will become an even more significant contributor to the                        economy of Singapore in the next 5 to 10 years. The industry                        is gaining momentum by having a good number of big industry                        players setting up a home in Singapore (i.e. Lucasfilm,                        EA, Ubisoft and a number of other companies). This translates                        to job opportunities for our future graduates. The strong                        educational system in Singapore will produce an excellent                        pool of candidates for DigiPen.


What is the Training Philosophy                        of DigiPen?
 DigiPen's comprehensive and rigorous curriculum goes                        far beyond just teaching students how to use art production                        software or specific programming languages. Through internships,                        team-based projects, and a highly academic curriculum, a                        DigiPen student directly experiences what it takes to become                        a successful and valuable member of the interactive media                        community.


Could you tell us about                        the different courses you offer?
 Undergraduate programs:


1. Bachelor of Science in                        Real-Time Interactive Simulation
 This computer science degree combines coursework in computer                        science, mathematics, and physics with team-based projects                        to provide students with the theoretical foundation and                        practical skills required to successfully pursue careers                        in highly specialized fields, such as computer/video games                        and real-time simulations, as well as in traditional computer                        science.


2. Bachelor of Science in                        Game Design
 Game design is a cross-disciplinary field of study encapsulating                        the artistic and scientific processes involved in conceiving,                        scripting, and implementing interactive computer/video games.                        This degree combines coursework in computer science, mathematics,                        physics, game design theory, arts, humanities, and social                        sciences with team-based projects to provide students with                        the academics, technical foundation, and practical skills                        required to design, script and program games.


3. Bachelor of Arts in Game                        Design
 While the B. Sc. in Game Design concentrates on the scientific                        processes involved in designing games, this B. A. degree                        focuses on the artistic aspects of Game Design. This degree                        combines coursework in game design theory, arts, humanities,                        and social sciences with team-based projects to provide                        students with the academic, technical, and creative foundation,                        and practical skills required to design, script, and create                        art content for games.


4. Bachelor of Fine Arts                        in Production Animation
 This degree combines a comprehensive and rigorous education                        in fine arts and animation with practical production experience.                        This provides students with the academic, technical, and                        creative foundation, and practical skills required to pursue                        a broad range of careers in games or animation productions.


Continuing Education programs:


1. WSQ Advanced Certificate                        in Games Development
 Taught over six months, the objective of the program is                        to provide fundamental knowledge to those seeking a career                        in the game/software development industries.


2. DigiPen-Ubisoft Campus
 In collaboration with Ubisoft Singapore, this is a ten-month                        "finishing year" program that aims to provide                        students with the necessary knowledge and industry production                        experience required to join the competitive video game industry.                        There are three tracks offered under the DigiPen-Ubisoft                        Campus:


(a) Professional Conversion                        Program for Game Programmers


(b) Professional Conversion                        Program for Game Artists


(i) Environmental Modeling
 (ii) Character Modeling & Animation




(c) Professional Conversion                        Program for Game Designers


3. Modular courses


ProjectFUN Workshops


Designed specifically for                        students in upper primary schools, secondary schools and                        tertiary institutions, these two-week workshops are an excellent                        introduction to the digital interactive media fields. Academically,                        these workshops help students develop and enhance their                        problem-solving and analytical skills. Additionally, students                        discover the roles of mathematics, physics, art, and the                        importance of the integration of these academic topics in                        the field of game development and engineering.


Workshops offered:


- Game programming
 - 3D animation production
 - Game design




How many students are studying                        at DigiPen and how many have passed out till date? 
 Currently, we have 81 undergraduate students in their freshman                        and sophomore. It will be another two to three years before                        they graduate.


For the Continuing Education                        courses, there are currently 21 students undertaking the                        DigiPen-Ubisoft program and they will graduate in September                        2010.


As for the ProjectFUN workshops,                        we had 100 students who completed the two-week workshops.


How is the complete admission                        procedure for the student like?
 Before enrolling, applicants must have taken the Singapore-Cambridge                        GCE 'A' level exams or earned at least a polytechnic diploma,                        or a high school diploma, or recognized equivalency certificate.                        In addition to standard application elements such as an                        application form, transcripts, and a personal statement,                        there are additional requirements for specific programs                        such as an art portfolio, math requirements, game modification                        analysis, etc.


What is the fee structure                        and duration of the courses like?
 The tuition fee for international students is approximately                        S$12,075 per semester (excluding 7% goods and services tax),                        which will work out to approximately S$96,600 for a four-year                        degree program. The duration of the degree programs is four                        years for a student without any exemptions.


What kind of international                        guests and industry professionals have been invited to DigiPen?
 Consisting of representatives from industry leaders such                        as Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft,
 Valve, Gas Powered Games, and ArenaNet, DigiPen Program                        Advisory Committees
 review DigiPen's curriculum annually for rigor and continued                        relevance to the industry.


Work done by three teams                        at Digipen on the Game Design Document, " The Rings                        of Romo Yana."


TEAM IO ENVIRONMENT:
 Student Name: Reko Pypponen.
 Description: This environment on Jupiter's fiery moon, Iook                        is for a game design document, "The Rings of Romo Yana."




TEAM MERCURY ENVIRONMENT:
 Students' Name: Sarah Quek, Sean Shia, Kelwin Kwan.
 Description: This environment is for a game design document,                        "The Rings of Romo Yana." Team Mercury is depicting                        a level environment within the "Dawn Lotus," a                        satellite circling a newly-terraformed Mercury.




TEAM MARS:
 Student Name: Ignatius Tan.
 Description: This Monkey Mech is for a game design document,                        "The Rings of Romo Yana." This is an uncolored                        character/prop for Man-U-Nam's Thousand Monkey Army.