‘Game boys’ first to graduate from pioneering new course

16 July 2017

Next generation of computer games developers enter world of work

It was ‘game over’ for the first cohort of masters of computer games development students who graduated from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The University launched the MComp degree four years ago and the five trailblazers have now set the benchmark for high achievement on the course.

Four of the five have graduated with a first-class honours degree while three of the five were finalists in the national Search for a Star competition, which discovers the best undergraduate games programmer in Europe. Kyle Hobdey, from Pill, went on to win the competition with his Star Wrangler Arena game, which he built in just four weeks.

"This first cohort has been a small group but they have been very close knit and very successful. For three of them to have been finalists and for Kyle to win Europe’s largest games development student competition was tremendous."

The graduates are now putting their skills to use as two have landed graduate entry roles with big developers while the other three have created their own company.

James Hutchinson, from London, has landed a job as a games programmer for Sumo Digital, based in Sheffield. The 22-year-old, who took to the stage of Preston’s Guild Hall to receive his degree, said: “The course was very different to what other universities were offering and that was really good. It was a practical course and it meant we were learning a wide range of skills and covering a variety of topics which helped make us ready to enter the world of work straightaway.”

Dr Gareth Bellaby, Course Leader for the MComp Computer Games Development, said: “This first cohort has been a small group but they have been very close knit and very successful. For three of them to have been finalists and for Kyle to win Europe’s largest games development student competition was tremendous.”