Train2Game
Serious Games
DR Studios is proud to announce our latest product – Train2Game, a world first and totally unique way to start a career as a games development professional in the fast-moving and massively dynamic video games industry!
We have partnered with the UK’S largest distant learning company to create these specially developed courses that cover a wide range of games development disciplines, including Games Programming, Games Design and Art. Students of a Train2Game course do not need to have any previous experience in games development; our unique courses have been created especially for people with a passion for games and a commitment towards learning.
With a learning system so directly geared towards the needs of the games development industry, Train2Game collaborates closely with TIGA (Trade Industry Games Association).
TIGA is the national trade association that represents game developers in the UK and Europe.
An Overview of the T2G courses
Train2Game Developer
Games programming is a highly specialist and complex field. Train2Game’s Developer course begins by examining game-making tools and helping the student to become immersed in games and their structure. This basic grounding allows the student to quickly move into the area of more complex programming and games development processes covering the fundamentals of C++ and industry relevant tools and applications. Using industry standards such as Visual studio, students learn all of the key aspects necessary for commercial games development. The course covers in depth both 2D and 3D games development that teaches valuable and essential programming techniques. On completion of the course the student will be a fully capable C++ games programmer.
Train2Game Designer
The Designer course provides students with a solid grounding in the world of games design. The course teaches the student to be a game visionary, determining how to develop an idea into a working and, more importantly, commercial game opportunity. This process is explored all the way from conceptualisation through to writing a detailed background story, designing competent game mechanics and outlining the whole look and feel of a game. Early stages of the course focus on basic concepts such as game genres and the intricacies of the games industry itself. The latter stages teach the student how to create full games design documents and how to implement and balance game structures including storyline, gameplay mechanics, controls and interface.
Train2Game Artist and Animator
As a games animation, modelling or visual effects artist, high-end skills in the use of key graphics software are a must. Train2Game’s Art and Animation course begins by covering the immediate basics of working with Photoshop and 3D Studio Max as the core applications. The course gives students a clear understanding of how to use these industry relevant applications.
As part of the early lessons, the course teaches 3D pipeline processes and the techniques and processes used to create professional 3D graphics, introductory modelling techniques, creation and application of textures and rendering. Once complete, the course content moves on to more complex work that covers the principles of animation, timing, spacing and key framing, after which the student will apply these techniques to a simple character. Other sections of the course include teaching visual effects and their integration into game environments, camera tracking, lighting and texture 3D.
The overall objective of the Train2Game Art and Animation course is to teach students to become game artists that are able to create immersive 3D environments that work within the technical considerations of specific game technologies.
Train2Game QA Tester
The QA course is designed to appeal to those aspiring to enter the world of computer game testing and quality assurance.
The course is not just for pure gaming however. In addition to a love of games, students of the Computer Game QA course will require the extra drive, aptitude and ambition to go beyond just playing; they will need a desire to analyse, deconstruct and improve games across multiple genres and platforms, and display real aspirations to become part of the Games industry.
As part of the learning process students begin the course with an introduction to games using Game Maker Pro. Whilst not an industry tool, Game Maker allows students to develop a base understanding of core game mechanics and the game creation process. From this baseline understanding students will then move into the fundamentals of Bug reporting.
Modules within the course range from basic QA through localisation, working with hardware manufacturers, focus group tests, planning test sessions and managing QA teams. Later lessons expand and hone on these skills, demonstrating the students understanding and abilities through a myriad of practical exercises and assignments.
Successful completion of this course will equip students with the knowledge and the skills that today’s games industry demands from its QA specialists, opening up opportunities to work, not just as a Games QA technician, but also within Marketing or Sales as a Games Analyst, a solid foundation in Games theory also opens the door to a junior role in Production of Project Management.
