Nearly 400 applications were submitted for the video game program\u2019s 50 spots in its initial run and hundreds of applications have again been received for the coming fall term, said Assistant Professor Jason Hawreliak.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt just shows how much demand there is from students for this kind of program,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been going better than we had ever hoped\u201d with students showing immediate investment in the learning material, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n GAME\u2019s unique structure has students earning a university degree and an advanced college diploma in four years.<\/span><\/p>\n Students choose their stream at Brock, either aiming for a Bachelor of Arts in game design or Bachelor of Science in game programming.<\/span><\/p>\n It was the collaborative approach between the two institutions that drew Ivy Truong to the program.<\/span><\/p>\n The first-year GAME student was enticed not only by the ability to earn a degree and diploma in four years, but also by the program\u2019s focus on theoretical and practical learning.<\/span><\/p>\n Hawreliak said the program aims to turn students into experts on the tools of the trade while also focusing on the principles, design and theory behind gaming.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re really excited about is students are really getting the best of both worlds here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Games are a complex medium, Hawreliak said, with many design components, as well as art, sound, programming and narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n Gaining an understanding of each of those components can be difficult, but it\u2019s what the program strives to provide.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStudents are getting as much as we can give them in four years,\u201d Hawreliak said.<\/span><\/p>\n Truong said the program quickly taught her that she still has much to learn about the gaming world.<\/span><\/p>\n She came to Brock with a career path in mind but said her eyes have been opened to directions in the gaming field she didn\u2019t know existed.<\/span><\/p>\n The program, nearly a decade in the making, is closely linked to the local game industry with experts providing feedback on student assignments and participating in workshops on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is very much a living program,\u201d Hawreliak said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always speaking to students, always speaking to the industry to see what\u2019s up and coming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Students will also participate in internships once they enter their third year.<\/span><\/p>\n Linda Roote, Associate Dean in Niagara College\u2019s School of Media Studies, said the program\u2019s content has helped to keep students engaged from the first day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a terrific retention rate,\u201d she said, adding she\u2019s been impressed by the student investment she\u2019s seen.<\/span><\/p>\n With a small cohort of students and many applications coming through the door, those who are accepted to the program are \u201cdestined for success right out of the gate,\u201d Roote said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like we have as many applications this year as we did last year. They\u2019re literally pouring in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Expansion has already entered the minds of program facilitators, but growth will be limited by capacity restrictions in the newly-renovated labs.<\/span><\/p>\n Renovations were completed in the summer of 2016 in the Interactive Media Labs in the Centre for Digital Humanities to support increased enrolment through the Interactive Arts and Science and GAME programs.<\/span><\/p>\n New state-of-the-art computers were installed in the GAME lab, which students have 24-hour access to in order to work on their projects without owning the expensive equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe tore down the instructor\u2019s podium at the front,\u201d Hawreliak said. \u201cThis used to be a typical lab focused on top-down instruction and now it\u2019s a more collaborative space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The renovation was tailored to fit the needs of the students, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n Students have been busy putting their skills to work in the first semester, creating games right off the hop.<\/span><\/p>\n Being able to make a tangible product so early on has been a strong motivator for Truong.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI enjoy being able to take what I learned in class and turning it into something I can interact with, using what we learned in a way that\u2019s different than writing an essay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Seeing that finished product provides students with a sense of satisfaction and ownership, said Assistant Professor Alex Christie.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re building expertise as creative people. As a teacher there\u2019s nothing more satisfying than to see a student make something that is a reflection of who they are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n First-year student Mehran Mansour Feizi works on a project in the recently-remodelled lab used for Brock University\u2019s GAME program. The four-year program, which launched last September, runs in partnership with Niagara College.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new Brock University Humanities program continues to be in high demand, scoring with students and faculty as it approaches the finish line on its first year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":43280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[37,1,4],"tags":[4858,263,384,5538,264,919],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43278"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43278"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43774,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43278\/revisions\/43774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Brock](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/BROCK-GAME-1-1050x700.jpg\")