Shatter Keep<\/a>, was released on the gaming platform Steam in May. It has since amassed more than 12,000 downloads.<\/p>\n\u201cThe day after we launched, we got onto the trending pages for a number of different tags that we put on the game and we were No. 1 trending for three or four of them,\u201d says Jonathan Lopes (BA \u201921) who was the creative director on the project.<\/p>\n
Nair and Lopes, along with classmates Jaena Neve Cabrera, Nicholas Darker, Cameron Deviney Martin, Lane Gingras, Matt Grainger, Myles Hurst, Jacob Hyatt, Jenny Joyce, Matt Roman and Gavin Wood, created Shatter Keep for their fourth-year GAME capstone project.<\/p>\n
Shatter Keep is a multiplayer survival game, where one player takes the role of a monster and hunts the other three players as they attempt to escape from a castle. Players arm traps to delay the monster while completing a sequence of objectives before time runs out. Meanwhile, the monster\u2019s objective is to hunt and eliminate the survivors.<\/p>\n
The game has had a positive reception, with an 85 per cent approval rating on Steam and encouraging feedback on Shatter Keep\u2019s dedicated Discord channel created by the students.<\/p>\n
The project helped Lopes land a job in the game industry quickly after graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cShatter Keep definitely gave me a good edge,\u201d says Lopes, who now works as a quality assurance (QA) tester with Clipwire Games in Toronto. Long term, he hopes to work in creative design in the game industry.<\/p>\n
As QA tester, Lopes does design work, making sure that the user interface and user experience are up to par, and creates test plans to ensure games are thoroughly tested before release.<\/p>\n
Lopes and Nair advise future students to take advantage of opportunities outside of class to build their skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to do things outside of school to help you figure out what you want to do in the industry,\u201d says Lopes. \u201cMost of the time, employers don\u2019t want to see assignments, they want to see work. Try to do things on your own time, while also making sure you have time to enjoy yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nair\u2019s words of wisdom: \u201cPush your limits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo for beyond what is taught in school,\u201d he says. \u201cGo to as many game jams as possible. Networking is huge and is going to be pivotal in landing a job.\u201d<\/p>\n