From player to game developer
Sony's collaboration with NYP gives students an opportunity to develop their own PlayStation games
The game development kits allow our students to run their own codes, which they would not be able to do in commercial consoles.
- Course manager Mr Andrew Lam
His path towards the dream of being a game developer started when his brother introduced him to a game console when he was in kindergarten.
Now 18, he has since bought and used all four iterations of the PlayStation console, starting with the PS1.
Next semester, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) student Arun Ezekiel will get the chance to develop his own PlayStation games, as Sony Interactive Entertainment renewed its multi-year collaboration with NYP to loan them its PlayStation game development kits yesterday. .
Since 2009, NYP students have been able to access them at the polytechnic's Games Resource Lab, South-east Asia's only PlayStation games development and training centre.
With the continued collaboration, NYP will also be the first educational institution in South-east Asia to have access to PlayStation VR (virtual reality) game development kits.
Having access to the game development kits gives them an edge, said Mr Andrew Lam, 40, course manager for the Diploma in Game Development & Technology.
"The game development kits allow our students to run their own codes, which they would not be able to do in commercial consoles," he said.
"They can then test their own game ideas and be familiarised with development issues on game consoles."
The kits are accessible to Year 3 students from the Diploma in Game Development & Technology and the Diploma in Digital Game Art & Design, with the VR sets available from next semester onwards.
CHILDHOOD DREAM
Arun, who will be in Year 3 next semester, said: "It's a childhood dream.
"I'm excited to work on my own games and feel privileged because my games may one day be enjoyed by others in the gaming community."
Another Year 2 student who is taking the Diploma in Game Development & Technology, Sri Sham Haran, 20, also shares Arun's excitement.
Said Sham: "I've been playing PS1 since I was in primary school so I have experienced at first hand the joys of playing it. I can't wait to develop my own games."
South-east Asia regional head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited (Singapore branch), Mr Hidetoshi Takigawa, said they chose to provide the PlayStation VR kits to NYP due to their existing partnership.
Mr Takigawa said: "We would like to provide our latest technology to NYP so the students would have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to develop content for the PlayStation VR."
The game development kits allow our students to run their own codes, which they would not be able to do in commercial consoles.
— Course manager Mr Andrew Lam
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