Christophe De bont 
18/05/2022Do you take such a great interest in video games that one day you’d like to create them yourself? Are you bursting with new and innovative game concepts and do you like to think about video games on a conceptual level? Then you just might be an ideal fit for the Game Design curriculum at new FLEGA member LUCA School of Arts (link in Dutch).
By opting for the Game Design major, you can study towards either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the Audiovisual Arts. Throughout the program you’ll get to grips with the conceptual, visual and technological side of video game development. Working with programs such as Unity, Blender and Photoshop you’ll learn how to (visually) design a video game, but you’ll also be trained in creative entrepreneurship, marketing, and project management. After three years you should have an allround understanding of the video game development process and be able to independently contribute to a development project.
Bachelors that want to further hone their skills can continue with the master program, where they’ll have to create an innovative video game project from scratch. This also gives students the chance to get a headstart on creating their commercial debut game. That’s exactly the route master student Sander Ambroos took with his project Sizeable, a #BelgianGamesIndustry success story that would go on to win Best Debut Game at the 2021 Belgian Game Awards and a solid foundation to start Business Goose Studios with fellow students. Other noted alumni have found jobs with Limburg area studios such as AlterEyes and Banzai Studios.
Talking about the work field: there’s a lot of teachers, such as Polygoat‘s Robin Gielis and Banzai Studios’ Stijn Mommen that are still active in the video games industry, and there’s plenty of guest lecturers that will share their expertise with the students. Next to having the required diplomas, you’ll also need to pass an artistic admission test to start the program. This keeps the group of students rather small and allows teachers to give plenty of individual guidance.
