Interview with a Game Design and Interactive Media Major
What made you choose GDIM?
“When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to do something untraditional. I wasn’t really interested in most of the conventional majors that were offered at most colleges. I’ve always had a really strong bond with games, and I knew I’d love to study them. Besides, not having to do math is always a good thing to me.”
I’ve heard this, but is it true that GDIM is a relatively new major?
“That’s interesting because the major actually used to be CGS (Computer Game Sciences) before turning into GDIM last year. The major used to be geared toward coding, but now it’s more dedicated to designing. I guess I’m kind of a pioneer that way because our class is the first to be admitted into the major as freshman undergrads.”
What’s been your favorite GDIM class so far?
“That’s so hard! They’ve all been so good. If I had to choose an absolute favorite, it would probably be GDIM 41: Games and Society. It was my first time thinking about video games in the context of society and how it affects people and helps them, and it was really mind-opening as someone who didn’t take video games seriously before. It’s really important to learn about these things when going into designing because I think we have a moral obligation to people to create things well. Plus, we got to play a lot of games in this class which was really fun.” I loved being able to say that I had my League of Legends due by 12.
Do you have a favorite teacher in GDIM?
“There’s so many good ones! Ugh, that’s so hard, they’re all amazing first off, but if I had to name one it would be Constance Steinkuehler. She’s such a huge force behind GDIM, and she’s definitely the person you go to for questions and help. Constance is such an inspiring figure for me not only because she’s a woman in this field, but because she’s so flawless in what she does. She’d probably deny it, but it’s so true. But there are so many great professors in GDIM. Her husband, Kurt Squire teaches such a fun class about game development, and there’s also a fun class taught by Rainforest Scully-Blaker on game design. I’m taking a class with Aaron Trammell this quarter and he has great conversational aspects to his classes that really get you thinking. I’ve developed a whole new mindset about gaming culture because of him.”
How would you describe your course load in GDIM?
“Depending on the professor the class structure and expectations are totally different, but overall there’s a lot of teamwork in the major. Almost all the big assignments are group assignments, which is probably also the hardest part of the major if you don’t like that sort of thing. But it’s definitely not that bad, especially if you care about what you’re doing and motivate yourself. A lot of these projects are centered around different types of game creation which is fun. In terms of scheduling, most of our major-related classes are generally in the afternoon or evening.” Because us gamers like to sleep in.
“One of the really cool parts of the majors is how many guest speakers we have. The GDIM staff work really hard, and they have the most amazing people coming in to speak. We’ve had people from Riot Games, people writing about games and their impact on society, really big-name industry professionals that come in and tell us what they look for and what’s important in designing. It’s not just professors telling you, but people currently working in the industry telling you what it’s like and what we still need to fix. It’s still a fairly new industry and there are a lot of kinks to smoothen out. We’re always talking about how we can help society through games.”
Do you have a favorite part of GDIM?
“There are a lot of “gamers” out there, that is people who play games. I don’t think our society realizes how important the gaming sphere is for young people, and how we design games is important to that. Realizing these things and learning how to design games that provoke empathy in people is what we strive for. So I’d say designing games is the best part of the major because it’s such a fun thing to do, but also because of how crucial it is.”
How would you describe the community in GDIM?
“Honestly? It’s such a tightly-knit group. Our major isn’t big and it’s pretty new in the grand scheme of UCI. I’ve already had a professor 3 times, and it’s only my second year. It’s cool to have professors who recognize you and remember the things you say, and they really care about you. I feel like my professors genuinely care about what we think about the gaming industry and what we can do to improve it. In terms of my classmates, they’re all incredibly smart people. And incredibly funny! We’re all on discord together, and we like to joke around. But aside from that, people are willing to help you and connect with you which is really cool.”
Are there any clubs on campus that are GDIM related?
“There’s definitely a reason UCI’s known as one of the best colleges for gamers. There’s a Smash Ultimate club, Melee Club, Tabletop Club, and some other gaming-focused clubs on campus. Obviously, through playing, you learn about games, but the club that I most recommend is the Video Game Development Club (VGDC). I’m a part of it too, actually! It’ll get you hands-on with the development of games, and help you learn how they work, how people interact with them, and how to be social through them. You don’t just have to be a game design major either. If you’re interested in learning more about video game stuff, that’s definitely the place to look.”
What type of career opportunities would you say come with GDIM?
“GDIM is a very broad major. We touch on everything: art, design, coding, and basically everything in the game development sphere. There’s lots of opportunity to specialize in something in this type of course, but that also means you have to learn how to specialize yourself. It’s important to find opportunities in clubs and classes to develop the specific skills you’d want: producing, coding, designing, or anything else. You’ll basically be introduced to every kind of career in the game design industry with this major. There’s some pretty cool stuff.”
What advantages do you think come with a GDIM major at UCI?
“The community atmosphere is great, and a lot of us in the program are nerds who are really interested in media and talking about it. Aside from what I’ve said about the program itself, we’re in a great location too. We’re in the center of Silicon Valley which means there are a lot of gaming companies around. They’re interested in UCI students and looking at what we’re doing and learning here.”
Any games you love to play in your personal life?
“I love the Pokemon games because they’re really great in what they’re trying to represent: friendship and cooperation, and they’re generally really fun. My top, top favorite game would be Mother 3. I’m also a fan of:
Yu-Gi-Oh
Katamari Damacy
The Last Of Us
Minecraft
Genshin Impact
If you don’t cut me off, I’m going to keep going on forever.”
Alrighty then, on that note, do you have any advice for prospective GDIM Majors?
“Go for it! Don’t be scared because there are people here that are willing to help and teach you. I say this a lot, but everyone in the GDIM major wants you to succeed. In some other majors, there might be people who won’t help each other out because they have the mindset that they’re competing, but that’s not how it is for us. It’s a community bonding experience, so be prepared to interact with people! You’ll definitely meet people here who have similar interests because we’re all nerds, but regardless feel confident knowing that the community is there to support you. It’s a lot of fun and it gets you thinking, so just go for it!”
