Game Programmer Education for Needs of Industry : a Multifaceted Study
Vaihoja, Vesa (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024110927754
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024110927754
Tiivistelmä
Kamk University of Applied Sciences is one of the educational institutions in Finland offering studies for the people who are interested in game development. One possibility for the students is to specialize in game programming during their studies. This thesis evaluates the education of game programmers and looks for ideas for developing the contents of it. When dealing with the topic, the perspective of the companies operating in the field is taken as the focus. From the perspective of the study, the most important questions were how well the current competence of graduates serves the needs of the companies and what competence is important for the companies. The study was carried out in several relatively independent stages.
The first stage was an industry review where the objective was to identify the companies that are working with the game industry and study the information published by companies. Public information available on the websites of companies, publications on social media and information found in game publishing platforms were the sources of information. To identify the companies, the Finnish business register was used first as a source for the candidates. The list was then reviewed one candidate at a time to ensure that the company is working on the game development.
In the next two stages the current education of the Universities of applied sciences and technology used in game development were reviewed. Curricula related to game development of all Universities of applied sciences were compared and analyzed. In the technology review game engines and their popularity was in the point of interest to identify the most important programming languages. This part of the study started with the review of some articles about the topic. The industry review made it possible to use information published by companies to obtain a regional perspective.
The last stage was the survey providing the results. The previous stages left some open questions, and the survey was the method to find answers to them. The current curricula were used as the basis of the survey. Cooperating companies was the target group for the study.
The most important result was a prioritized list of development targets that can be implemented once the implementation plan is drawn up. In addition, some research topics were listed for a proposal if further studies take place.
The first stage was an industry review where the objective was to identify the companies that are working with the game industry and study the information published by companies. Public information available on the websites of companies, publications on social media and information found in game publishing platforms were the sources of information. To identify the companies, the Finnish business register was used first as a source for the candidates. The list was then reviewed one candidate at a time to ensure that the company is working on the game development.
In the next two stages the current education of the Universities of applied sciences and technology used in game development were reviewed. Curricula related to game development of all Universities of applied sciences were compared and analyzed. In the technology review game engines and their popularity was in the point of interest to identify the most important programming languages. This part of the study started with the review of some articles about the topic. The industry review made it possible to use information published by companies to obtain a regional perspective.
The last stage was the survey providing the results. The previous stages left some open questions, and the survey was the method to find answers to them. The current curricula were used as the basis of the survey. Cooperating companies was the target group for the study.
The most important result was a prioritized list of development targets that can be implemented once the implementation plan is drawn up. In addition, some research topics were listed for a proposal if further studies take place.