Tim Hamel '08
Electronic Game & Interactive Development, Game Design/Art & Animation tracks

Tim Hamel has always had a passion for video games, and not for just playing them. He’s written stories, sketched out characters and developed entire worlds from his imagination. So it’s fitting then, that he was immediately drawn to Champlain’s Electronic Game & Interactive Development program. “It sounded like everything I ever wanted in a college, and it has lived up to that expectation. Being a part of the program is letting me gear my passion towards a career that I will enjoy.”

What Tim finds especially interesting about Champlain’s program is the team-based curriculum that’s modeled after the gaming industry. “Almost all of the work that is done for a class is done in a group. This teaches you not only how to work well with others, but, more importantly, how to trust others. Fail to do your part and the team suffers. Do it well, and the team flourishes.”

Tim is the student liaison for the Champlain chapter of the International Game Developer's Association. In the club, students give presentations and run open forums to discuss current issues and events that are important to the gaming world. They maintain a Web site and also plan activities such as a learning trip to Montreal -- home to two major electronic game companies, EA Studios and Ubisoft Studios -- where students can get a first-hand look at how video games are made.

Sometimes, Tim says, they even find time to play games.

“I was working on a project for the class, and one of my friends dropped by my room and saw me playing a video game. He said, ‘Shouldn't you be doing your homework?’ I replied, ‘This is my homework,’ trying my best to hold back a laugh.” But Tim is quick to mention that majoring in game design is not always, well, fun and games. “As much fun as there is in the major, there is at least twice as much work. Playing a game is great, but when you have to write a ten-page paper about it later, you tend to look at video games a bit differently.”

Hometown: Acushnet, MA
Favorite class: Game History & Playability Testing
Extracurriculars: International Game Developers Association - Champlain Chapter Liaison, Student Activities Planner, Writing Tutor, Resident Assistant
Activities: Games, writing, reading, sketching, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee
 

Sarah Patterson '09
Electronic Game & Interactive Development, Game Design Track

Sarah Patterson has the life that just about every kid dreams of: she plays video games for homework. What’s more, she’s on track to turn her favorite hobby into a full-time job after graduation. As part of a growing number of college-bound students drawn to one of the entertainment industry’s most cutting-edge careers, Sarah chose the e-Game and Interactive Development major at Champlain College because it’s one of the few bachelor’s degrees in the nation that’s modeled after team-based game development. It’s also the first program of its kind offered in New England.

Sarah is focusing on Game Design, a track in which students take a mix of video game design and production courses, which are combined with classes in programming, Web, interactivity, writing, psychology, art and drama to prepare them for a career in a variety of industries from digital entertainment like video games to interactive development in other software or technology markets.

When asked how being a female has affected her experience as a gamer in an historically male environment, Sarah said, “It has definitely affected my decision to be in the industry. I chose this major because I want to design games. When more women get involved in the industry, the industry will change just because of the nature of the games we play and our own personal experiences that we contribute.”

Today, some video game companies are looking to hire more women developers and designers to diversify their products. That’s good news for this young gamer. Still, Sarah maintains that hard work is the best method of success. “I think women gamers are definitely more sought after than male gamers,” she says, “but this doesn't mean that women don't have to work hard to get into the industry. There is definitely opportunity out there for women gamers and designers.”

Hometown: St. Albans, Vermont
Favorite classes: Conceptual Game Design, Legacy of World Civilizations
Club: GameHers (Sarah co-founded this gaming club for women), International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Club
Extracurriculars: Bowling league
Career goals: To create a new line of puzzle games
Hobbies: Star Trek, fiction writing
Favorite video game: Brain Age