Education
Three Southern Institute of Technology Bachelor of Screen Arts students attended the New Zealand Game Developers Conference in Auckland after securing CODE scholarships covering flights, accommodation and conference tickets.
The conference ran from 30 September to 3 October at the New Zealand International Convention Centre. CODE — the New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence — provided the scholarships, removing a significant financial barrier for the students.
Third-year game design student Gary Polivert said the scholarship provided access to an event he otherwise may not have been able to attend. "The tickets alone were quite expensive, and I probably wouldn't have attended without the scholarship."
Polivert found the opening keynote on cultural awareness in games a highlight and came away with a broader sense of what is available to developers in New Zealand. "There is value in being a New Zealand developer. Internationally, it makes people curious, and locally, other Kiwis are supportive of that identity as well."
He said the experience sharpened his focus on maintaining the professional contacts he has built as graduation approaches. "The conference made me much more aware of what's out there, so I plan to stay in touch with the people I met and continue building those relationships."
Polivert originally came to SIT from Wānaka to study Audio Production. Collaborating with a Screen Arts student on a Sound for Visual Media paper sparked his interest in visual media and led him into the Bachelor of Screen Arts (Game Design).
Fellow scholarship recipient Winter Allerby said being immersed in the conference and its game development community was a highlight.
"For me, it was just walking around, checking out all the games people were showcasing, talking to creators, and getting to know people; everyone I met was super nice."
Allerby said the timing suited her well. "It was amazing timing and a great opportunity to actually network before I graduate and join the industry."
Allerby also made a mark playing Ascension: The Immortal Alchemist. "I played for ages because they were doing a competition; I'm competitive. They had a level created especially for the event and were giving away Steam keys to the top people who could beat it," Winter explained.
After being told nobody had yet beaten the level, Allerby beat the game creator's time by half a second, as well as being the first person to complete it. "By the end, it wasn't even about the Steam key. I just wanted the bragging rights of being the first player to finish the level."
After graduating, Allerby plans to return home to family in Palmerston North before seeking opportunities in Wellington. "Ideally, I'd like to get a job in Wellington. It's close to home and has a decent-sized game development industry, with quite a few people in the industry and studios based there."
Third-year Bachelor of Screen Arts student Lillia McNatty, who has lived in Invercargill all her life, hopes to relocate to Christchurch after graduating. She found the networking opportunities at the conference particularly valuable. "Making new connections was the best part of it," she said.
"I've found quite a few people who want my help and my expertise in the places I'm looking at moving to after I graduate."
McNatty said the scholarship made attending possible. "It would have been financially out of reach for me otherwise."
She said the conference also provided insights beyond what students encounter through formal study. "There was a lot of good industry advice as well. I learned a lot of things that you're not really going to be taught in school."
The experience also strengthened her confidence about entering the industry. "It was such a warm and welcoming event. I didn't imagine that I'd be talking to everybody there."
CODE Industry Development Manager Vee Pendergrast said the students' innovation and enthusiasm helped secure their scholarships.
"Broadly, [they] were all highly enterprising and very keen to get outside their comfort zones and seize this unique opportunity. It was certainly a mix of personalities, but everyone showed eagerness to engage, learn new things and bring knowledge back home."
Pendergrast said the most significant part of attending the conference was the chance to make in-person connections with industry professionals. "There's obviously not a huge game development industry within Invercargill, but the biggest things are the in-person conversations. Discord and online forums are great for continuing a relationship but not so great at organically starting things. So, we can solve that by getting people to meet developers in an industry setting, play some games, form some friendships and move forward."
She said what the scholarship recipients took away went beyond attending lectures and sessions. "We at CODE were very keen that while the scholarship recipients could go and attend a few of the lectures and sessions, it was all about the Kiwi Games Zone and making new relationships. Regardless of whether you're looking for a job or starting a new thing, building a network of peers is everything. Nothing gets you a job faster than being tapped on the shoulder; nothing gets you a reality check in indie dev (independent developer) business than getting on a call with someone more experienced."
SIT Bachelor of Screen Arts Programme Manager James Wilkinson said SIT's relationship with Dunedin-based CODE had helped make students aware of opportunities such as the NZGDC scholarships. CODE has visited SIT and presented to Bachelor of Screen Arts students and is represented on the programme's industry advisory committee.
Wilkinson stressed the students had earned the scholarships through their own initiative. "Good on them to have applied and got the funding because it wasn't guaranteed. They had to show some motivation and initiative, and they were rewarded for that."
With all three students now close to graduating, Polivert said he is taking valuable advice from his final year at SIT that sums up his approach as he continues developing creative projects: "Make stuff exist and then make it good."