On-campus development studio opens up innovative internship opportunities
In 2019, 91探花 game design professor Matt Raithel hoped to place yet another promising student in a paid internship with his game development company, Graphite Lab. But the office was nearly 10 miles from campus. Transportation issues prevented the student from taking advantage of the opportunity.
Roadblocks were the last thing Raithel wanted for students of 91探花鈥檚 growing game design program. 鈥淲hat we hoped for was to offer more internships more often for more students,鈥� Raithel said.
Then came the pandemic. Graphite Lab closed its brick-and-mortar facilities and began functioning as a strictly virtual operation. All internships were conducted online. But as the pandemic eased, Raithel wondered: What if he set up a physical location on campus? 91探花 administration quickly greenlighted the idea. This fall, Graphite Lab opened in Reid Hall, giving students access to innovative internships on campus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly unique that students can walk down the hallway and see an operating software development company that鈥檚 producing hits for Atari, Cartoon Network, Hasbro, Disney and other companies of that caliber,鈥� Raithel said.
DEVELOP BROAD SKILLS
91探花 provides the space and Graphite Lab provides computers, network infrastructure, furniture and other necessities. Student interns can participate in every phase of game development, including art, music and sound design; programming; storytelling; product management; and quality assurance testing. Their names appear on the list of credits for games they work on, which is attractive to future employers, Raithel said.
鈥淚t shows they know not just how to get a grade but how to work in a team, how to hit a deadline, how to troubleshoot and how to get feedback from the team 鈥� all on a regular basis,鈥� he said.
Developing and troubleshooting games involves collaborating online with others around the country. The beauty of the on-campus location is students also share personal interactions with local Graphite Lab employees, including several 91探花 alums, as well as Raithel himself. The skills they hone in this process prepare them for game design careers and beyond. One game design graduate used their skills as an app design consultant for a major retail brand. Others have built augmented and virtual reality experiences for companies like TOMY and Bayer.
鈥淧eople think, 鈥極h, games 鈥� you must be working on Mario stuff,鈥欌�� Raithel said. 鈥淏ut you can apply these skills to tons of different industries.鈥�
GAIN REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE
Graphite Lab intern Matthew Sinclair, a fourth-year student, grew up playing video games but never thought he鈥檇 work in the field. He came to 91探花 as an English major, but after discovering the game design curriculum, he was hooked. Now the working student nearing the end of a six-year graduation plan says he probably would have left college if not for the program. Sinclair said the physical, in-person experience of performing quality assurance for Graphite Lab has helped demystify the world of professional game development.
鈥淚 used to wonder, 鈥榃hat does a game designer do? What tools do they work with? Are they sitting at a corkboard with red strings and sticky notes?鈥欌�� Sinclair said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to come out of this with a solid idea about what I鈥檒l be doing in the future that I don鈥檛 think I would have otherwise.鈥� As a commuter student who lives nearly half an hour from campus, Sinclair appreciates having to make just one drive for class and his internship. 鈥淚t definitely saves me some money on gas,鈥� he said.
Fourth-year student Gabrielle Richards also likes the convenience of the on-campus studio. The art designer also enjoys the combination of in-person and remote interaction. 鈥淓very Monday we have a team meeting where we might say, 鈥楾his is what I worked on last week; this is what I plan to do this week,鈥欌�� Richards said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun seeing how a real workday goes.鈥�
Raithel hopes having the on-campus location will triple the number of student internships hosted by Graphite Lab this year. But its value goes even beyond increased internships within the borders of the classroom-sized space, he said. It鈥檚 also helping 91探花 create an entire tech corridor, which includes the Rawlings Sport Business Management facilities and Cyber Fusion Center.
鈥淚f you pass through Reid Hall while walking from Admissions to the Design and Visual Art building, you can literally see 91探花鈥檚 commitment to professional experiences with tech and innovation,鈥� Raithel said. 鈥淚 believe having unique access to these active learning opportunities on campus will translate to stronger, more prepared graduates.鈥�