Animation & Game Programming Courses in Singapore

The creative technology industry in Southeast Asia has not seen better days. Since the turn of the century, large firms have been turning to the region to look for talents, and many have since set up operations in what was long considered a backwater region for creativity. However, while top animation and game studios are yet to hire top executives and management from the region, there are those who have struck it out on their own and had success on their own.

Through my own observations, while large organizations turn to the region for talent, it is unlikely that these people will sit eventually at top management within the organization and there seems to be some reservations still as of now, to put these people in the top decision-making seats.

However, as more locally led international studios make their mark globally, the trend will eventually change. The doubt has never been on the region’s education system. Singapore in particular, has always had an education system that is highly regarded. A graduate student holding a diploma in animation from Singapore’s top institutions and polytechnics for example, could easily land a job in most studios around the world.

Students who take up game programming courses in Singapore also find themselves among the global elites of highly sought-after professionals. Those who are well-versed in the island-nation’s emphasis on developing its human resource talent pool will understand why. The government has pumped in a considerable amount of resource into the area, and its bevy of world-class educational institutions prove its dedication in the subject matter.

Its top University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), stands as Asia’s premier University, ranking 22^nd in the 2014 global ranking, whereas its counterpart, the National Technological University (NTU) is followed closely behind at 39^th position.

The truth is that with its accessibility, infrastructure, political stability, low-crime rates and global standing, there is no reason why one should overlook the tiny red dot of Southeast Asia.

Interested in studying in Singapore and picking up a Diploma in Animation, Game Programming courses or other such programmes in the creative technologies industry? Check out the programmes held at MAGES Institute of Excellence today.

Why Unity 3D is Being implemented into Game Development Education

It is heartening to know that Game Development Education has evolved over the years in Southeast Asia. While traditional strongholds such as the United States and Japan have always pushed boundaries, the rest of the world had always been a little less progressive when it came to the subject matter.

Since the advent of mobile gaming however, Southeast Asia has become a hub for mobile game development, and as a result, game development and related studies have also grown in the region. Singapore especially, has taken advantage of the growth in the industry, bringing in respected countries to set-up shop on the island’s shores to further boost the industry’s growth. Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Konami, GungHo Studios, Gumi Asia—all huge industry players, have been hiring local and regional talents from their Singapore headquarters.

Local polytechnics and private institutions have also recognized the growth in the industry, having created and run game development specific courses to cater to the growing need for jobs in the games development market.

Unity 3D course modules in particular, have been very popular. Two years ago, most schools were still using obsolete development tools and engines such as Gamemaker, but the scene is very different today.

The reason for the sudden popularity of Unity 3D courses is not singular. Unity 3D holds a multitude of advantages—for one, its multi-platform capabilities means that it can be developed across multiple platforms. The second advantage is that it uses scripts, instead of actual programming language, and this allows designers and artists to assist the programmers with inputs into the game, shortening the production timeline.

The increase in popularity for Unity 3D courses can be attributed to the fact that game development studios themselves are adopting Unity as a core development tool. Private institutions like MAGES Institute of Excellence, have even gone to the lengths of getting Unity certification to train its students specifically in the course.

Don’t believe it? Check it out for yourselves!

Singapore: a Global Hub for Education?

How does Singapore fare as an education hub?

Singapore’s focus on its education system makes sense when you think of its meritocratic branding, and its reliance on its people as a resource, given its lack of natural resources. Given the result-oriented nature of Singapore, it’s education system has since emerged as one of the toughest—drawing as much flak for its survival-of-the-fittest stance, as it has praise. The challenge and prestige of their education system (amongst the best in Asia), has seen a steady increase of international students flocking to their shores.

However, it is not just the students who are flocking. Lecturers, and even foreign institutions and universities are making their way to the island’s sunny shores, showing that everyone wants a piece of the pie. However, some foreign universities have found a way to co-exist with local institutions. The University of London is one good example. Instead of erecting an offshore campus, it has integr\pated its courses into local institutions. Locally renowned institutions like SIM University, Kaplan University and MAGES Institute of Excellence all offer one of Universityof London’s various international programmes.

While University of London’s International Programmes have always had a tradition of being global, other foreign universities have also established themselves locally, with universities such as Curtin even going so far as to set up a Singapore campus.

The creative education sectors especially, has seen an increase of foreign students and academies in the last decade. Visual effects courses in particular, are doing really well—blockbuster hits such as Godzilla and Pacific Rim have all outsourced their work to Singapore, due to the increased quality of infrastructure, support and talent pool.

While foreign universities have made their mark in Singapore, locally founded institutions have also stepped up their game. One good example would be MAGES Institute of Excellence, set-up in 2010, the school has seen a rise in prominence in the last 4 years. Recognizing job market needs, the school has set up itself to specialize in tertiary education and professional training for members of the creative technology industry. With courses ranging from visual effects courses specialization to video game design and development, the institute has been rewarded with its quality education and foresight by gaining recognition from the Council of Private Education (CPE) with its Edutrust branding.

It is institutions like MAGES that helps Singapore maintain its competitive standing as an education hub. While not yet at the level of elite destinations such as America (Harvard, Yale) and England (Oxford, Cambridge), it is clearly the leading destination in its region, and one of the top destinations in Asia.

 

Studying in Singapore- A look into Diploma Courses in Animation

Despite being a state of scholars, Singapore has in truth, long been a nation of skill-based individuals. Singapura as it was once known, had its roots as a bustling port for trade. This continued to be a trend up until the time of its colonialism by the British.

However, after the British left and Singapore became independent in 1965, the nation’s manufacturing industry blossomed under the guidance of its leaders. Since then, Singapore has always levied on its skilled manpower in order to make up for its lack of resources. The rapid development of media and technology has not escaped the country’s leaders, and the past two decades have seen the country develop its infrastructure accordingly.

In the past decade especially, the animation industry in Singapore has made extraordinary breakthroughs, in terms of influence, presence in the international industry, infrastructure and government support. Singapore is now the envy of its region having been involved in blockbuster hits such as Godzilla, Pacific Rim, Clone Wars: The Animated Series and more.

Education for Animation, has evolved accordingly with the industry, and several government and private institutions have shown their presence in recent years by producing alumni that have graced these very blockbuster productions that have put Singapore on the map in terms of Animation.

One such institution is MAGES Institute of Excellence. With a strong focus on game design, as well as animation courses, their modules range from the basics such as Character Game Design, to more complicated programming and art modules.Learn diploma courses in animation & give shape to your imagination.Create  your own animation video.Check this funny animation video......

Its Diploma courses in Animation even has a progression into an Advanced Diploma programme that allows you to choose one of three specialities involving, Visual Effects, 3D Character Modelling where you will upgrade your character design skills, as well as Character Animation.

Such specialized schools who are closely tied to the industry and its practitioners, place a high emphasis on ensuring that its students and its curriculum meet the dynamic needs of the industry. As a bonus, the school not only offers long courses, but professional short courses for practicing professionals to add-on or to refresh themselves in their respective field.

If you have ever considered picking up a tertiary course in animation, or wish to improve on existing skills such as character design for games and film, take a look-see at institutions and colleges in Singapore before you consider pricier options in traditional animation powerhouses such as in the United States.

International Spot Admissions-Take up Visual Effects Courses in Singapore by MAGES Institute

MAGES Institute of Excellence will be conducting spot admissions for its Visual Effects Courses in Singapore, namely the Visual Effects specialization track for its Advanced Diploma in Animation. Starting with India, the institute will be sending representatives to Coimbatore, Bangalore and Chennai from the 7^th of August to the 9^th of August. Following that, there will be trips to the Myanmmar (16^th of August), as well to Indonesia within the same month.

This represents the perfect opportunity for those in the area seeking to receive free personal advice regarding Animation and Visual Effects. However, there’s an even bigger reason why you should visit if you have the chance. MAGESInstitute of Excellence, is offering a 30% scholarship for selected students.

Those attending will be required to bring their portfolios, resume, as well as any educational transcripts in their possession. Of course, the course consultants attending the events will also be suited to advice students who are interested in developing other areas of their skillset, such as Game Development with Unity 3d.

In fact, if you’re in the area there isn’t a good reason to NOT attend the spot admissions. For one, it’s free advice from career professionals who can give aspiring animators and visual effects artists an insight into the booming amount of opportunities in Singapore.

Speaking about visual effects and animation alone, Singapore has been responsible (at least in part) of the production of blockbuster hits such as Pacific Rim, Godzilla and Man of Steel due to the presence of multinational companies such as Lucasfilm and Double Negative in Singapore.

It certainly seems like exciting times for the Creative Technology Industry in Singapore, and what better way to jump into the bandwagon and start your journey by dropping by for the international spot admissions?

MAGES has set up their registration for the India spot admissions and interested students can register their names at: http://www.mages.edu.sg/index.php/registration-page-bangalore-chennai-coimbatore

5 Reasons to Make the Jump to Unity 3D

For those of you in the know, MAGES Institute of Excellence remains the only Unity certified institute in Singapore. That in itself is not so much an achievement, but an endorsement and an acknowledgment by the school of Unity 3D’s impact as an editing tool and game engine. MAGES’ Game Design courses does have core programming modules, and the use of other engines such as Cocos 2D is also taught but there is no denying the increasing importance of Unity. So, what is the big deal about Unity? Here are five reasons why MAGES made the jump to Unity 3D, and why you should consider doing so as well.

1. It is simple to use. There are no distracting menus and keyboard commands to memorize, it is accompanied by a graphic representation of the functions that you enter and you can observe in real time if you are achieving your desired result. In short, the user experience is fantastic.

2. It simplifies development to a point where almost no programming skills are needed at all, allowing for everyone in the development team to be able to have direct input into the game, shortening the development time as there is less reliance on the programmers. In fact, 3D Development with Unity 3D has never been easier.

3. It is great for end users who simply need to install the Unity 3D plugin and insert the product URL onto their browsers. It is because of this accessibility that MNCs such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Warner Brothers, Disney, Microsoft and NASA have made the jump. So why shouldn’t we follow suit?

4. It is cheap. Relatively anyways. A flat fee of USD 1500 will get you a Pro licesnse—none of that Annual Fees to worry about. The best part, an unlimited number of users can access your environment, so long as your website servers can handle the load.

5. Assets, assets and more assets! The Unity Asset store is filled with both free and paid assets that you can use to create your own game/environment. Developers can use the free assets as placeholders, or buy paid environments and change the texture to make it their very own. Schools or organizations like MAGES can use the available assets for say, Game Level Design Courses, instead of making the school or the students create the assets themselves. This advantage is not only for Game Level Design Courses, but all non-art related courses who can use the time saved to better achieve lesson objectives.

So, ready to make the jump to Unity? Tell us what you think!

Also, do look out for our upcoming announcements. MAGES Institute of Excellence is planning on stopping by several countries to provide free student counselling as well as spot admissions for our diploma in animation, advanced diploma in animation and other related courses.

3 Reasons to Take Up Diploma Courses in Animation

A Short Guide for Prospective Creative Students in Singapore

You’re fresh out of secondary education, and it seems to you that the academic route isn’t really your calling. As a kid, you’ve always been drawn to the Sunday morning cartoons in a different way. While everyone else around you stared transfixed at the screen, you wondered with curiosity on the inner workings behind such light-hearted magic. In school, you enjoyed art classes because it stimulated you, allowed you to create. I know, because I’ve been there.

Choosing to walk a non-traditional path is scary, after all we’d been brought up to believe that it’s important for us to study hard; to be good at Mathematics and the Sciences if you ever wanted to amount to anything. Art? That’s just a past-time. It’s been drilled into our heads over and over again, so much so that we start to believe that it’s true. I took the leap, got frightened, and turned my back on my dreams, only to find myself being drawn back to it, but that’s a story for another time. It did teach me a lesson though, and the first reason why you should take up Diploma Courses in Animation….

Because You Want To. The most important reason, and the simplest. I don’t mean to proceed with reckless abandon, but if being an Animator appeals more to you than say, being a Biochemist, why force yourself? Don’t let future income be a deciding factor in your journey, because to be honest, there are way too many variables in the future that could add or damage your earning power anyway. Do what you love, be good at what you do, and success will follow.

Times are also not what they used to be. The creative industry in Singapore has grown so much over the past 10 years, thanks to the efforts of the government and those within the industry. The growth in the Animation industry in fact, has been rather apparent. The arrival of industry giants, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore (LAS) in 2004 has also paved the way for smaller studios to flourish and boom. I guess what I’m saying is… Strike While the Iron is Hot. Granted, job stability is still something that could be worked in such a dynamic environment, but the industry has not looked as good in a long time, and seems like it is only to be getting healthier.

 

The truth is, if you’re still reading this, it means that you’ve considered this career path to some extent but might still be undecided. There is nothing much else for me to say to convince you though, except that Animation is one heck of a fulfilling industry. What you create is tangible, and the satisfaction of seeing your works being displayed… I met someone from Lucasfilms once, and he told me about how amazing it was to have taken part in the production of the movie, Pacific Rim, and watching it onscreen for the first time, was simply mind-blowing.

With how varied Animation is, you can even choose a specialization. Visual Effects, Character Animation and 3D Modeling Courses are available here at MAGES Institute of Excellence, for those who wish to further refine their skillsets into something more specialized. For example, specializing in 3D Modeling Courses will of course open up more markets for you. Besides the traditional roles of in films and gaming, 3d Modelers are also needed in interior design, architecture, the medical industry and for stage/set design. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Want to find out more? Leave a question in the comments or drop us a mail-enquiry@mages.edu.sg