Video game design and development bachelor’s curriculum for Estonia
Date
2024-02-16
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Abstract
Doktoritöö: Mida tuleb õppida, et videomänge teha?
Kui Arno hommikul auditooriumisse jõudis, oli loeng juba alanud. Arno oli eelmisel õhtul kaua üleval, sest ehitas koos sõpradega videomängu. Videomängude loomine paelub Arnot väga. Kuigi tal on suur mure, kas ta sellel alal ka tööle kõlbab.
Tartu Ülikoolis koostatud doktoritöö uuris, mis oskusi ja teadmisi peaks Arnol olema, et ta head karjääri teha saaks. Uuritud Eesti meelelahutustehnoloogia ettevõtetest enamik ütlesid, et mängudisainerina peaks Arnol olema mitmekülgne taust. Ta peaks oskama juhtida projekti ning suutma erialaselt suhelda nii mängukunstnike kui -programmeerijatega. Ühes ettevõttes näiteks nimetati mängudisaineri ametikoht hiljuti ümber projektijuhiks. Isegi kui Arno tahab tegeleda ainult programmeerimisega, on tal ka vaja mõista mängudisaini laiemalt. Ühe ettevõtte esindaja ütles: “Programmeerija, kes ei mõista kasutajakogemust, on halb programmeerija.”
Samuti peaks Arno oskama kasutada mängumootoreid. Need on tööriistad, millega tänapäeval videomänge luuakse. Uuringu tulemusi võrreldi 10 aastat tagasi tehtud sarnase uuringuga. Tollel ajal mängumootorid nii levinud ei olnud. Vähemasti mitte tänapäevased Eesti ettevõtetes nõutud Unity ja Unreal Engine mängumootorid. Arnol oleks tark õppida mõlemat, et töövalik oleks laiem ja ta ei jääks ühe tehnoloogia taha kinni – kes teab, mis mootoreid ja tehnoloogiad järgmise 10 aasta pärast kasutatakse.
Eriti oluline on Arnol tööle saamiseks luua mänge. Ettevõtted tõid välja, et otsitakse hea tööeetikaga vastutustundlikke töötajaid. Kui Arno peaks mängudisaineri või -arendaja tööle kandideerima, tahetakse näha ja mängida tema varasemaid mänge. Tal on vaja portfooliot.
Uuriti veel, millised meelelahutustehnoloogia tööstusele ja Arnole sobivad bakalaureuseõppekavad on juba olemas teistes Euroopa riikides. Leitu põhjal loodi Eestisse sobiv bakalaureuseõppekava plaan ja õppekava disainimise põhimõtted. Niiviisi saavad nii Arno kui kõrgkoolid teada, mida tuleks õppida ja õpetada, et Arno oleks oma unistuste tööl pädev.
Doctoral dissertation: What to Study to Make Video Games? The lecture had already started when Arno made it to the auditorium. Last night Arno was up late, building a video game with his friends. Arno is very passionate about making games but worries about not being capable enough to work in that field. A doctoral dissertation at the University of Tartu studied what skills and knowledge Arno should have for a successful career. Most of the studied Estonian entertainment technology companies said that to be a game designer, Arno should have a varied background. He needs to be able to manage projects and communicate professionally with game artists and programmers. In one company, the game designer position was recently renamed project manager. Even if Arno just wants to program, he still needs to understand game design. One company said: “A programmer who does not know about user experience is a bad programmer.” Arno needs to be skilled with game engines. These are modern tools that are used to make video games. The results were compared with similar studies from 10 years ago. At that time, there were no popular game engines – at least not Unity and Unreal Engine, which are now in high demand at Estonian companies. It would be wise for Arno to study both of them. Doing so would broaden the job opportunities and not leave Arno stuck with just one skill set – who knows what engines and tools will be used 10 years from now. To be employed, Arno needs to make games. Companies need responsible employees with strong work ethics. When Arno applies for a game designer or developer job, the companies want to see and play his games. Arno needs a portfolio. The dissertation mapped out the Bachelor’s curricula from Europe that would suit Arno’s and the entertainment technology industry’s needs. These findings led to a Bachelor’s curriculum plan and its design principles. This helps Arno and higher education institutions learn and teach things that help him be good at his professional career.
Doctoral dissertation: What to Study to Make Video Games? The lecture had already started when Arno made it to the auditorium. Last night Arno was up late, building a video game with his friends. Arno is very passionate about making games but worries about not being capable enough to work in that field. A doctoral dissertation at the University of Tartu studied what skills and knowledge Arno should have for a successful career. Most of the studied Estonian entertainment technology companies said that to be a game designer, Arno should have a varied background. He needs to be able to manage projects and communicate professionally with game artists and programmers. In one company, the game designer position was recently renamed project manager. Even if Arno just wants to program, he still needs to understand game design. One company said: “A programmer who does not know about user experience is a bad programmer.” Arno needs to be skilled with game engines. These are modern tools that are used to make video games. The results were compared with similar studies from 10 years ago. At that time, there were no popular game engines – at least not Unity and Unreal Engine, which are now in high demand at Estonian companies. It would be wise for Arno to study both of them. Doing so would broaden the job opportunities and not leave Arno stuck with just one skill set – who knows what engines and tools will be used 10 years from now. To be employed, Arno needs to make games. Companies need responsible employees with strong work ethics. When Arno applies for a game designer or developer job, the companies want to see and play his games. Arno needs a portfolio. The dissertation mapped out the Bachelor’s curricula from Europe that would suit Arno’s and the entertainment technology industry’s needs. These findings led to a Bachelor’s curriculum plan and its design principles. This helps Arno and higher education institutions learn and teach things that help him be good at his professional career.
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