Samantha Bland BA Games Design and Art (2019)

When I came to Uni I was looking for a place that would not only allow me to live by myself, but also allow me to further myself and my studies. Winchester School of Art offered that, along with a course that would develop the skills I had gained at college - I struggled to find a course before coming across this one that would really push me and teach me new things, since I has already completed a games design and digital media course at college.

I studied a games design and digital media course at college, and since then I have expanded my skills to include coding, presenting and even team management. One of the highlights of the course has been the Games Jam with IBM, which involved presenting my ideas to the company and their associates. The experiences I’ve gained from University have been more than what I expected and this has really helped my confidence.

Winchester is a great place to study, with so many facilities that always meet your requirements. There are plenty of places to study, from coffee shops to the library and workshop rooms. I’ve become more confident in myself and my work through presenting products to people I don’t know, and I’ve also networked at games studios in London. I’ve learnt a lot about what’s required for an interview, and what to expect in a typical games studio in industry.

One of my highlights has been working with IBM to produce a game over just three days. Second and third year students worked in a team, each with our own assigned roles, to develop a game using the IBM Watson speech-to-text technology. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to visit IBM and their associates, and promote the game we had created.

I’ve also enjoyed being a student ambassador for my course, which has involved visiting various colleges to represent the course and speak to A-Level students about my experience.