Awaken Your Fantasies – Create and Develop Your Own Game

Designing your own game is no cakewalk, but if you have an idea that can have you rolling in millions by the end of the year, it would be unwise to not act upon it.

There are various software’s out there to assist in creating the game of your dreams, whether you want to create it for cell-phones, tablets, laptops or gaming systems. However, having taken a Visual Effects Course helps colossally, as it facilitates perspective and advanced illustration techniques that make your work easier and the game more appealing. Visual appeal is an essential requirement to attract gamer. And the best part about these courses is that they aren't heavy on the pocket!

Here’s a Guide to Creating a Video game:

(1)    Decide the Game’s Genre: Ascertain the genre for your game beforehand to make the creation process easier. After deciding the type, you could look at other games in that genre for inspiration and to know what works.

(2)    Choose Software that Suits your Requirements: Choosing the correct platform for the game dictates the games controls and considerably impacts the games development. Some examples include touch and tilt based, keyboard and mouse, console, stick controls, etc. Game Maker Studio is popular for 2D while Unity is recommended for 3D. Many other such engines are available.

(3)    Make an Initial Prototype: List the basic features of the game before investing time and energy in creating the artwork. You need to know whether your vision is actually going to work, therefore, it’s best to start with a simple rough framework and test it while adhering to the games rules. This way, if it doesn't work you can either make appropriate changes or abandon the idea.

(4)    Create Graphics: Once you have succeeded in making the game work, the next step is to create graphics. Write down the littlest details and create them. Now, if you aren't very good at it, you can definitely outsource it for payment or even give credit to the graphic designer. Alternatively, you can also add photographs using Photoshop or like software or create an easy-to-build pixellated screen.

(5)    Add Music and Sound Effects: Today it is relatively easy to create a unique tune for each accomplishment or occurrence during the game. Readily available tunes can also be added to your game.

(6)    Market Research: You will definitely be the first one to play your own game, but it is primate to test the waters by making a few friends play your game before launching. You may be surprised to find that they may play the game in ways that you hadn't envisaged. Bug testing is paramount before unveiling the game and also, the controls need to be refined.

And finally, you can launch your game; however, don’t expect to mint money overnight or you can be thoroughly disappointed.

Is Professional the Way to Go?

The best way to figure if you should enroll in a professional program is to first create games by yourself and see whether you are enjoying it. After launching a few relative successes, you can sign up for top of the range Game Development Education courses that offer promising career opportunities too.

Summary

Follow the above mentioned steps to create a phenomenal game that will take the world by storm. Bring alive your fantasies, because in the virtual world of gaming everything is possible.

Jumpstarting Your Creative Career

Is your creative career in a rut? It might be time to shake things up a bit.

Let’s be honest, taking the path to become a creative can be a road filled with disappointment. Like myself, the majority of the creatives who are just starting out find that the reality of it is not as rosy as one may have pictured. Those who choose the creative path are often lured by the idea of not being deskbound, and are avoiding the humdrum of a 9 to 5 job. Perhaps the idea of chasing after a passion, of doing what they liked for a living also helped to draw them into their field of choice. For those who have already taken the leap, like myself, can tell you that the reality of being a creative is bleak for those who come unprepared.

For starters, the competition out on the freelance market is simply astounding. The market is filled with cutthroats who are willing to cannibalise on their brethren’s work, and undercut prices to the point where it devalues the work of their fellow creatives. For example, a case study recently done on graphic design, took the service portal known as Fiver into question. Fiver is a website where logo designers can promote their services online, for cheap, some promising design services for as low as five dollars. If that did not sound dubious enough, the case study revealed that many of these designers were blatantly stealing or taking designs and altering them slightly from existing logo designs (what creatives refer to as cannibalising). The case study touched on two main topics; how the general public viewed design work to be of little worth, and how websites and some unscrupulous “designers” themselves are compounding the matter by undercutting the market.

Creatives can also tell you that there is little to no freedom as a creative working in a firm. Forget 9 to 5, creatives are often expected to slave away long hours without overtime compensation in most cities, and are grossly underpaid for their time and effort. These creatives, who often have crippling student loan debts to pay off, often lose heart in their first two years within the industry, and often cite feeling undervalued as the reason for leaving and jumping to a different industry. Career progression and job satisfaction is also a large issue; most creatives find that there is no difference between what they do, and the humdrum of a 9 to 5 desk job. Firms often do not take input from the creatives, often directing the project based on their own or client needs. The creative thus finds himself nudged out of the creative process, and leading the life of a disgruntled worker. In fact, designers and artists who work in firms have often described it as working in a “factory line”, where they are just given a task and a deadline to complete it by, with no questions asked. Financially, a job in the creative line is nothing to hoot about either – designers can expect a starting annual salary of as low as 20,000 USD in some developed nations!

With both freelancing, and full-time employment facing such issues, the creative industry is facing an ever shrinking pool of talent – with larger numbers leaving the industry every year. But all hope is not lost yet.

My advice for aspiring creatives, is to start out by working in a firm. This will allow an iron rice bowl for at least a year or so, while easing you into the long hours of being a creative. Don’t get too comfortable though, because the idea is to essentially meet potential future clients during your time there and removing that cap on your earning power.

When you’ve made the leap into being a freelance, remember not to underprice your services! Creatives who are just starting out fear that due to the lack of their experience, clients may not feel justified to shell out a decent sum for their work. However, this is no excuse for offering a measly sum of money in return for your skill and time. You’ve spent years learning your craft, and your work will take time to do, so charge in accordance to the amount of hours you will be spending on your work. Remember, if you charge obscenely low prices for your services, you are not just devaluing yourself, but hurting the image of all creatives in the field.

Lastly, remember that as a designer, learning never stops. The advancement of technology demands that we keep ourselves constantly updated with the digital tools that are out on the market, and picking up a new skill doesn’t hurt your chances of making it in the industry either. For example, considering how most industries are moving away from print media, graphic designers may want to consider looking at motion media courses, in order to be able to integrate their design principles into dynamic media platforms, such as the web, film and television.

Game designers can also take a leaf out of their book. Game development with Unity 3D, the revolutionary engine that takes programming languages out of the equation, allows designers and artists to easily pick up the scripted language in order to effect changes without the help of a programmer – shortening the development pipeline to more than a quarter in the case of most games.

With that, I hope to wish my fellow creatives the best in their future endeavours and to not buckle under the initial harshness. Speaking from experience, with a  little bit of luck, your hard work will pay off, granted you make smart choices along the way. Here’s to a fulfilling career as a creative. Cheers!

Baby Steps: Game Development at its Infancy

Game Development in Asia in Singapore can still be considered to be in its infancy. While it has been around for over a decade, it has come nowhere near to fulfilling the potential that a nation of its stature should be able to. Now, before you start screaming foul play… that was in no way a criticism of the industry here. 

The truth is that Singapore boasts perhaps the best infrastructure countrywide in the world. Political stability, state-of-the-art technology and excellent funding from the government has meant that the stage is set for companies to set up on the island and take the world by storm with its games. In fact, with the tools at their disposal, one would expect them to be rivaling traditional game dev powerhouses such as the United States.  So, why aren't they? 

Most people who are not from the industry tend to point fingers at the lack of creative talent in Singapore, and to be honest, they could not be more wrong. In truth, Singapore’s creative education sector have in the past 10 years, unearthed some diamonds in the rough. Heard of Portal? Yes, that very same game from Valve which took the world by storm was made in Singapore – and by students no less! The game featured revolutionary game play and mechanics for a first person shooter, and the founder of Valve was so impressed with their initial build that he hired the entire student team that built the game. The game’s quality and planning was living proof that the standard of game level design courses and that other technical aspects of its education was up to scratch with the very best. The fact that it featured ground-breaking game play mechanics also meant that the creativity of the local developers were nothing to sniff at. So why then? 

The truth is that the larger household studios who come here don’t give enough opportunities for the local creative talent to flourish. The common complaint for local game developers working in large local firms is that they have no creative input into the games that are being made. Take for example, Ubisoft and EA, both of whom have made Singapore their Asian hub. It’s been several years since the two giants have settled here, but there has been no noteworthy titles coming out of their Singapore headquarters. Those employed in this part of the world, are given bit part support roles to their American and European counterparts. How then can the country’s talent be expected to flourish? 

The solution is simple, and it is something that the nation has started to see. For one, it is no secret that the country is stepping up efforts to support local development studios, with only Gung Ho Entertainment the recent addition to multinational companies added to the list of game developers in recent years. Educational institutions are also doing their part, ensuring that students are up to date with the latest development tools. 2013 saw a large spike in the number of schools that started integrating 3D game development with Unity 3D. Even the media is doing its part, with the Straits Times creating a new category for local games in its yearly awards – “Best Made in Singapore Game” in 2014. 

 Whatever the case may be, the future looks set to grow brighter for local game developers in Singapore, and this reporter for one, cannot wait to see what the little island of innovation will come up with next.

Studying Abroad: Where Should I Go?

With globalization these days, it is common for parents to send their children abroad for their education. Considering how easy it is to get around and stay in touch with today’s technology, parents are less concerned with sending their children to countries with a more established education system. While the traditional western destinations like the United Kingdoms and the United States remain a popular destination, Asian countries in particular have climbed up the rankings tremendously in the past decade. In fact, 4 out of the top 5 best education systems in the world rank as 1) South Korea 2) Japan and 3) Singapore 4) Hong Kong and 5) Finland with the United Kingdom taking the 6^th spot and the United States hovering outside the top 10 at 14^th spot.

Of course, that is not the only variable when it comes to choosing the ideal location for your child. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of the top 3 education systems in the world.

1) South Korea

The country itself is a beautiful place, and the weather there is beautiful as well. For a developed country, it is also relatively cheap to live in, and the country itself is steeped in culture. The only con is the language barrier. Only a minority of Koreans speak English, and most lessons are conducted in their own native tongue. South Korea is known for their advancements in hardware and software technology, citing a strong education in the IT sector as a factor.

2) Japan

Very much like Korea, Japan is a developed nation with beautiful scenery and weather. They are also renowned for their food, and not unlike Korea is steeped in culture. However, they also suffer from the language barrier, and while English is more widespread in Japan than it is in Korea, most foreigners will have to adapt to the Japanese language to be able to survive in Japan. Cost of living is also more expensive than it is in Korea.

3) Singapore

Singapore is the first nation amongst the list where English is the most widespread language in use. Singapore is a mish-mash of different cultures and foods, being a country of immigrants, and while they are a small nation, is as much a developed nation as anyone on this list, if not more so. Boasting the 2^nd lowest crime-rates in the world (behind Switzerland), and many world-class amenities (world’s best airport, world’s best port… the list goes on), and has even been listed as the number 1 spot to visit by the Lonely Planet for the year 2015. With regards to education, Singapore has always been known to produce some of the brightest minds, and of late, the island nation has begun to focus on creative education as well. Those seeking Game Development Courses, or say, a Diploma in Graphic Design will find that there are many world-class institutes offering these programmes as well. Cost of living is reasonable, although housing can be expensive. There is however, a large number of student hostels that are relatively cheaper than the average house.

Well, that’s it for today; but for those who wish to add on to the other countries or have any questions, please feel free to do so in the comment section below. In the meantime, good luck with your search, and take care!

Studying Motion Design and other Creative Technology Disciplines in Singapore

Motion Design in Singapore has certainly gained traction over the years, with a number of industries looking at this particular design discipline as an effective and creative avenue to release its message to the masses across several interactive media vehicles. Whether it is for branding, marketing or advertisement (the savvy amongst you will know the difference), the versatility and simplicity of motion graphic design takes the principles of print media design to the next level.

Of course, Motion Design Degrees and Diplomas are not the most common of disciplines, and thus finding one in Singapore might be a little tough, but fret not! MAGES has come up with not one, but two motion design diplomas catered to an individual’s needs, and graduates would be fit to work in the industry or pursue a motion design degree.

The Unity 3D courses at MAGES have also been a big hit with MAGES having already run several batches. Professional game studios have also sent their staff to MAGES for Unity 3D courses in order to take their staff’s familiarity with the game engine to the next level.

The full-time game design students at MAGES of course, have profited from MAGES’ expertise with the game engine, and are ahead of the curve as per compared to their student peers due to the unity 3d courses and modules that they go through.

For those of you who are still unfamiliar with Unity 3D, it is a game development engine/tool that has a low learning curve (only scripting, no programming knowledge required!) and a low entry barrier (you only pay if you’re making money off of it!). Certainly its accessibility and ease has sped up many a production timelines.

MAGES’ commitment to the development of the Creative Technologies sector means that their core strength is staying relevant to industry practices. This is apparent in the closeness with which they work with their industry partners. Many of MAGES mentors are practising professionals, and for them it is a way to help their students rack up industry experience.

Are you interested in picking up a discipline from a Creative Technology? Check out the many courses on offer in our website. In the meantime, that’s all the time we have for now. Don’t forget to leave your comments below!

Character Game Design & Graphic Design in Singapore

The 10 Aspects of Good Design: Part 2 of 2

My last post talked about the aspects of good design, and mostly covered motion design. Today I wanted to speak about the remaining 5 aspects as well as cover other design disciplines. Character game design, a design discipline often taught in courses like animation, concept art, illustration and game design also takes much from the aspects on discussion here. There are however, aspects on discussion here that would only largely affect design disciplines such as product and interior design.

Minimalistic

A good design makes the most out of as little as possible. Now, I normally avoid using the term, “minimalistic” due to the commercialism of the concept in the past ten decades, but one cannot ignore the clean, simplistic nature of minimalism. Minimalism is the pinnacle of a play on space and form, allowing the essential aspects of the design to shine through, unburdened by any extra frills. It is important that the designer curbs his or her tendency to “over-design”, by adding in extra features for the sake of aesthetics, which might make the overall design look a little cluttered.

Thorough 

Being thorough down to the last detail, not leaving anything to chance and ridding oneself of the habit to put in arbitrary placeholders in one’s design is the mark of a great designer. Remember, it’s all in the details!

Useful

When talking about product design, it is obvious that these products are designed to be bought. Then what about character game design? Or Visual Communications for that matter? I once attended some short courses for graphic design in Singapore and asked my mentor how the aspect of usefulness embodied itself in a non-tangible design like graphic design? A useful design simply means the ability to satisfy function and aesthetics, but one that is able to affect its target markets psychological state. A good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while leaving out anything else that could possibly detract from it

Unobtrusive 

Now this applies mostly for product design. Animation students and 3D modelers especially should take note that for product design, they are not meant to be decorative objects or art pieces. The design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for a user’s self-expression, while at the same time not devoid of a brand identity.

Environmentally-friendly

Now, this one is again one for product designers, so character modelers do take note! The design of a product contributes to the preservation of one’s environment. Conserving resources and minimizing physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

That’s all the design advice we have for this time, but please do check out the character game design, 3d modelling and graphic design courses in Singapore that we have! Until next time!

A Look at Design & Visual Communications

The 10 Aspects of Good Design: Part 1 of 2

Function, aesthetics, space and form. These are all fundamental ideas that designers have to wrestle with in their daily lives. As a matter of fact, there are 10 aspects of good design that every designer should be looking out for. Today we’ll be discussing five of these aspects. 

1) Aesthetics

We begin our list with the most obvious aspect. Aesthetics might very well be the most surface-level aspect that designers grapple with but while most may relate the term aesthetics to something that is superficial and subjective (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), it remains an integral part of design. An engineer could perhaps create a well-functioning product, but a good designer would take that design and add to its appeal through aesthetics, making its form a lot more appealing to the senses.

2)  Truthful

A good design is truthful and manages to convey to the consumer its intended use and information. A good design does not overpromise. For example, a student from a good Motion Graphic Design Diploma can tell you that a designer’s main job is to be able to communicate a message effectively and concisely through the use of animation and graphics. Of course, this falls mainly for designers who deal in visual communications, but the clarity of a product’s design identity has to stay true to its function in all aspects of design.

3)  Evergreen

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable designs that are seasonal, a good design lasts many years—even in today’s throwaway society.

4) Innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with the rapid advancement of technology, and can never be an ends to itself.

5) Understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure, and allows the product to clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. It is at best, self-explanatory. Students partaking in motion graphic design diplomas, visual effects courses and other visual communication disciplines will be familiar with the concept of clarity through design.

So in summary, a good piece of design, has to be aesthetically pleasing, truthful, understandable, evergreen and innovative… amongst other things. We’ll be discussing the next 5 aspects of design in the 2^nd part of the post so don’t miss it!

In the meantime, if you are interested in picking up a design course, why not check out MAGES? Aside from the Motion Graphic Design Diploma, MAGES also offers visual effects courses as a specialization within the Advanced Diploma in Animation.

If you have any questions or want us to cover anything, please do let us know. Until next time!