More than half of the graduates will be moving directly into the Gaming Industry having secured an internship or full time position.
The first ever class of graduates from the twofour54 Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft celebrated the completion of their 16-month game development course during a ceremony held at twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi. The eight graduates presented their team projects to guests including twofour54 Chief Executive, Noura Al Kaabi; Managing Director of Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, Yannick Theler; and Head Lecturer at the Gaming Academy, Matthew Bell.
Through the comprehensive, industry-relevant training provided at the Gaming Academy, these students now have the skills needed for a career in game development. Gaming is one of the fastest growing sectors within the media industry generally and in the Middle East and North Africa region in particular. It is set to grow further with the potential presented by mobile gaming on cellular phones and tablets.
Leveraging the resources of Ubisoft, one of the worlds’ leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products, the programme focused on the key concepts which inform game analysis, production and consumption; content development skills; and the importance of game prototype iteration and user testing.
Now, having gained a wide range of specialised skills for the gaming industry, several of the students have already secured internships at Ubisoft – Abu Dhabi, while others have been offered full-time employment. One of the games developed by the students as a class project, Speed Freakz, an arcade racing game, is already available for download for Android in the Google Play App Store.
Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54, said: “When we opened the doors to the twofour54 Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft in March 2012 we were mindful that digital games played locally have traditionally been developed outside the region. Our aim was to build the skills of our young people and to help enable the Arab world to create its own games reflecting the region’s environment and cultural values. The team project work we’ve seen during this graduation ceremony and the very fact that some of our graduates have already secured positions in the industry shows we’re succeeding in our aim. This is thanks in no small part to the dedication and hard work of the students. We wish each of them luck in their careers.”
Fakhra Al Mansouri, one of the Emirati graduates, said: “Studying game development right here in Abu Dhabi under the instruction of experienced lecturers was such a unique opportunity. I’ve developed skills which I’m confident will be valuable to my career and I feel excited about starting my internship with Ubisoft Abu Dhabi during the months ahead.”
The twofour54 Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft is administered by twofour54 tadreeb, the provider of world-class training solutions for the media and entertainment industry. A second intake of students will be welcomed to the Gaming Academy on 29 September 2013.
For further information, see: http://tadreeb.twofour54.com/gamingacademy