We caught up with Level 2 Virtual Environment Design and Production students to find out how they went about their first College project and what they learnt.
Project Brief:
Students were tasked with creating exciting scenes from a computer game, looking at imagery, colours and themes depending on the genre chosen.
Simple backgrounds were provided as a template for students to edit and add their own figures, objects and effects. They were given creative freedom but should be able to justify reasoning behind every decision they made.
Genre options include: Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Action and Adventure, War and Racing.
Project Length:
Two weeks
Project Type:
Individual project
Robbie | Horror and War
“I chose to look at these themes because I have a personal interest in both genres. For my first project, I figured it would be best to stick to topics I know and understand. I didn’t want to over complicate things.
“I used Abobe Photoshop to create my scenes. Playing around with all the elements and tools and getting to have creative freedom to add what I wanted was fun. I have a little bit of experience with Photoshop, but I’ve enjoyed getting more familiar with the project and all it can do. We also upload all of our work to WordPress, so we can create a portfolio of work for evidence.”
“I’m really enjoying this course far. I like being creative so I’m excited to see what other things we’re able to create over the year. I’d like to progress into Photography after this course, so this will give me a good understanding and knowledge of the technical aspect of editing and computer software.”
Jude | Horror, Racing and War
“My favourite scene turned out to be the Racing one. I really enjoy those types of games and I know Mario Kart really well, so it made sense to work with what I was comfortable with.
“We were given a selection of background templates for each genre and had to add our own images to it to create a full scene. I enjoyed picking out characters and details that worked with the scene.”
“I’m really enjoying the course – it’s great. I enjoy computing so it’s nice to spend my days doing something I enjoy and have an interest in.
“I’ve really enjoyed this project. I’m new to Photoshop so it’s been good to have an introduction and learn some of the essential tools as I think we’ll be using Adobe programmes lots during the year!”
Charlie | Racing
“We could pick from a list of genres, but I chose to focus on Racing because it’s what I’m most familiar with. I added different cars and thought adding tyre marks was a good touch.
“I’m happy with how my work has turned out. I’m especially proud of the way I made the crashed car look like it’s submerged in the sand. This was done using a ‘brush’ tool I’ve never worked with before. I was also able to add clouds and change the lighting of the template to match the mood I wanted to create.”
“It’s been fun to play around in Photoshop. I’ve used new tools and created new effects that I’ve never tried before. I’m excited to see what else I can learn this year.”
Chloe | Racing and Horror
“I’m a big horror fan, and I’ve been playing racing games like Mario Kart for years, so I was immediately drawn to both of those genres. For my horror scene, I took inspiration from the video game, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’.
“This project has been really enjoyable. I’ve never been very good at Photoshop so always used IBS Paint instead, so it’s been nice to learn more about Adobe and become more comfortable using it. I’ve really surprised myself with the work I’ve managed to create.”
“It’s been really interesting so far. There’s a lot to take in but it’s been good, and I’ve already learnt a lot. I’m enjoying College, it’s easier to navigate than school. My lecturers have been super helpful, and the workload is much more manageable.
“I’m proud of myself for learning Photoshop so quickly. I still have a lot to learn but I’m happier using it now. I really enjoyed using the blur tool and creating the shadow in my Horror scene.”
Alfie | Racing and Horror
“I chose to stick with two genres that I already have an interest in as I could use my prior knowledge to my advantage when working out what to add to the scenes. I really enjoyed finding characters from other games to include in my ‘Racing’ scene and found ones that I thought fit the scene well.”
“It was good to experiment with Photoshop. I’ve used the project before but this was the first time I’ve ever really used it properly for a big piece of work. Before now, I’ve only used it to edit photos, so it’s been interesting learning how else it can be used to create multi-layered artwork.
“I enjoyed creating the scenes and having the creative freedom to add whatever I thought was best. It’s been interesting to think about the whole project and analyse exactly why I chose to do what I did and how themes, colours and atmosphere all help to create the full scene.”
“I’ve always wanted to pursue Game Design or Animation, so I thought this course would be best suited for the skills I’d need to learn for those career paths. The course has been interesting so far and I’m particularly looking forward to covering Animation later in the year.
I really enjoy College. There’s more freedom than at school and we’re treated like adults. It also helps that we’re only at College three days a week, so I have time to work and carry on with hobbies in my spare time.”
Think you’d enjoy creating your own digital game scenes?
Consider applying for one of our Computing and Digital courses.
More articles
Autumn Community Week Roundup
How to make French Macarons – Recipes from our Training Kitchen
