National Ranking
usv’s game design and development program has been ranked as the #13 top undergraduate program nationwide in 2018 by the Princeton Review, and tops in Northern California. Their report identifies the way the USV program equips students with relevant, hands-on experience and a portfolio of their work. In their article, What to Look for in a Game Design Program. They write, “You also want to make sure that your hands-on projects culminate in a portfolio for your job search. At University of Silicon Valley, the program culminates with students creating a strong portfolio and working in Game Studio. In Game Studio, students work with an external client to make a shippable game. A recent example is a game made for AC Transit, a major transportation authority in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. In collaboration with their executives, students designed a playable game for people riding their bus line. The game will ship in both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store.”
In this video, students in Game Studio reflect on their experiences:
The game they produced, as demonstrated by the following gameplay video, was demonstrated to the executive team at AC Transit.
The Princeton Review recognition is the result of a process they developed with theassistance of an advisory board the company formed for this project. Advisory board members included faculty at top institutions offering game design courses and professionals at leading companies in the gaming industry. The survey, which has more than 40 questions, covers a wide range of topics, from academics and faculty credentials to graduates’ employment and career achievements.
Trouble Brewing Road Show
The latest Project X animated short feature has returned to USV. After an initial sneak preview session on campus, Trouble Brewing was featured at the SIGGRAPH conference and was then shown at prestigious film festivals, including the Beverly Hills Film Festival. It was also selected and shown at the Durango International Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival. Now, it can be displayed to the public.
Students who worked on the project celebrated their work during the preview event. The question and answer session at the end of that event provided current students with a special give and take that was captured in the following video.
Brink Wins Again
In a little over one minute, Brink was the outcome of a portfolio class. Not only did it garner 1st place, Christmas Holiday 2017 Animation Contest by Animation Career Review but it was also made an Official Selection, Grand Foundation Student Film Festival 2018. The group project was led by Nikki DelVecchio, Natallia Dushkova, Victoria Haimov and Jean-Pierre Rouleau.
Branding SIGGRAPH Wins
Branding elements created for the SIGGRAPH conference by MediaWorks students have been awarded 1st Place in the BEA 2018 Festival of Media Arts Student Audio Competition.
The BEA Winners website describes the project (and provides reviewable media): “The MediaWorks team created every pixel and every bit of audio; original sound design and original music – no previously existing media were used. After multiple rounds of reviews, the client was extremely happy with the outcome, which is about to be launched on the official SIGGRAPH YouTube channel and website.”
The MediaWorks team included a Visual Team of six storyboard artists, motion graphics/animation specialists, lighters and project manager Michael Young. The main sound designer/audio post mixer, John Graham worked with composer / musical sound designer Taylor Fortes in accomplishing the unique sonic feel. The Audio Team also included seven additional Digital Audio Technology students, who were competing against the winning team in a friendly competition within the framework of a collaborative project between three University of Silicon Valley departments (Audio, Art, and Business).
And, the Oscar Goes to… COCO
No other award carries with it the recognition of being on an Academy Award winning team. That distinction has recently fallen on Psy DeLacy for her participation in Pixar’s Coco, which earned an Oscar as the Best Animated Feature Film at the 90th. Psy met with students last semester.
Congratulations to all who have received such recognition, awards, and accolades.
