News Kibble

James Lockett, lead developer for Planet Zoo, flew in from across The Channel to share insights about his work and other exciting projects at Frontier UK. The stage was packed today to hear James describe how he rolled into the industry working on lesser known rough gems and bigger titles such as Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo. He gave our students a lot of tips, tricks, and cheats on how to get started and stuck around for an insightful Q&A session.

While students were taking a breath from the Dragons’ Den, preparing for their Deep Dive project, and finishing their mid-term portfolios, the teachers team worked on their own project. True to our eat your own dog food motto, we dove into a one week game jam to finally get some hands-on experience with that other game engine.

Seraphic Betrayal (or Heaven’s Descent, or Hellish Corporate Chaos) is a collection of 2 interconnected games. In one game, players control Michael, a fallen angel, as he fights his way from hell back to heaven, battling corrupted angels and demons. In the other game, players assume the role of the Overseer, responsible for placing enemies strategically and managing celestial entities behind the scenes. The game features a light-hearted and humorous aesthetic, blending intense bullet hell gameplay with strategic management elements.

The Dragons had another roast!

On April 19th, the Advanced Game Design and XR students faced the ultimate challenge of defending their creations against the formidable Dragons. Some creations barely survived, while others were completely devoured. Pitching a game turns out to be something quite different from developing one. Scratchpost Studios received a clear yay from all the Dragons for their narrative game, Shattered Echoes! The Dragons Luuk Waarbroek, Chris Hendriks, Miguel Rebocho de Oliveira, and Bertine van Hövell tot Westerflier brought their expertise to the table, providing insightful opinions and constructive feedback on the students’ games.

On January 25, our Game Design and Technology groups showcased their work at the Innovations Insight event in the Fontys ICT InnovationLab.

Besides the action-packed boomer shooter Catalyst, an array of mobile and desktop prototypes were available for play.

But we like to go beyond the ordinary, presenting game prototypes using the 🧗‍♂️ Beastmaker climbing board, 👁️ Hable Braille input device, 🧠 Neurosity Crown for brainwave-based gaming, Tilt Five AR, and YAW VR hardware.

The Dragons have feasted!

On November 17th, the Advanced Game Design and XR students faced the ultimate challenge of defending their creations against the formidable Dragons. Some creations barely survived, while others were completely devoured. Gatling Gecko Studios received a clear yay from all the Dragons for their game, Catalyst! The Dragons Luuk Waarbroek, John Bell, Niel Vredeveldt, and Tim van der Grinten brought their expertise to the table, providing insightful opinions and constructive feedback on the students’ games.

Today marks the end of the ever infamous Game Pie project for our second-year students. This year with a unique twist: transforming their GOAT video game into a board game. 🕹️➡️🎲

The goal? To delve deep into the fundamentals of game design, translating digital concepts into tangible, tabletop experiences. 🧠

We were absolutely blown away by the creativity, innovation, and dedication they poured into their projects. From concept to prototype, whether with 3d printed figurines, spherical magnetic gameboard, and intricate mechanics, they brought their A-game! 💡

Today, we had the pleasure of hosting the talented developers from Rusty Lake, creators of the mysterious Cube Escape Collection and The Past Within.

We were honored to be the final playtesting ground for their upcoming release: Underground Blossom 🎉

A fearless group of students occupied our demo lab and refused to leave until they had collected every achievement. ⚡

Collaborations like these remind us of the incredible sense of community within the gaming industry. 🎮

At Dogfood Studios, we know that unity(3d (tm)) and collaboration are the keys to success in the gaming industry. 🎮

Today, we had an unforgettable team building event that kicked off the semester in style! 🚀

We headed to the Enversed VR Center for an action-packed VR tournament, stacking the newly founded student Game Studio groups head-to-head. 🕹️

It was an afternoon filled with balloon popping, alien shooting, and hamburger cooking, as we battled it out in the virtual world. Thank you, Enversed Center, for hosting us, and a huge shoutout to our talented team for making today a smashing success! 💥