Callum Brown

Academic Background: Digital Production, Design and Development T-Level @ St Thomas More (Gateshead)

Industrial Placement: 130 hours with PROTOGÉ (Gateshead) + 182 hours with I N F I N I T Y 27 (Gateshead)

Areas of Interest: Unreal Engine Blueprint Visual Scripting; Rapid Iterative Prototyping; Games Development.

Challenge

“I had a few questions about what we would actually be doing during the program. I had some experience in making games but was unsure how much the stuff we learned in school would be applicable and I feared I wouldn't be ready or at the right level to achieve what I wanted.”

Outcome

“I feel I have developed such a comprehensive understanding of the role. I feel I am now on much better footing in terms of development, design and programming - whereas before there were so many questions. Coming into PROTOGÉ, they answered so many of my questions - image tracking, engine basics, etc. - which was helpful and that's been really good. Working with AR (augmented reality) was a leap from what I’m used to and the stuff I worked on was challenging, I enjoyed the pace and found it satisfying. I’m interested in code and benefited from working with others to keep track of the overall codebase for the project. I found myself taking responsibility for some of the more difficult tasks. I’ve become invested in the concept of the placement and the outcome of the project, so I stuck my neck out to be a technical leader and critical team member so that I can be more effective in the team. Knowing how it all worked meant I could help if the rest of the team had any questions as I was tracking the big picture.”

Impact

“I feel as though I’ve been given the opportunity to become a willing and active leader and apply myself. I’ve always liked playing games and the placement has been a wake up call to help me to understand that I can take part in the game development industry. It was a massive opportunity to get my foot in the door and realize that this is something I enjoy. My technical ability has developed from the basics of game engines as I have taken what I’ve learnt here and applied it to my personal skills development outside of the T-Level. Being able to come to a placement where they can answer questions and tell the students things that we aren't even thinking about, that dynamic allows me to explore further beyond what I was personally able to do alone and that was really helpful.”