Report – This week final year students presented their video games to a jury made up of professionals.
“It’s inspiring to see what students can do in a year.” This is the first time YouTube Cyprien has been used. On Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 June, he was a member of the jury, appointed to evaluate video games designed by fifth-year students at Rubica School, a Chamber of Commerce school that specializes in video games, but also design animation and cinema. . In total, 23 representatives from the gaming world were invited to the Valencian campus to evaluate and test the seven student projects.
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Among them are representatives of such famous studios as Ubisoft, Ankama, Asobo, Gameloft and Piece of Cake. “When I was asked to be a juror, I immediately wanted to contribute to the experience. I wish I had been able to take part in a challenge like this at a younger age”, confirms to videographer Cyprien Iov, his real name.
Presentation in the school hall
In the grand amphitheater on the ground floor, 68 students, some with their parents and the jury, eagerly await the start of hostilities Wednesday morning. There are shouts of joy as soon as the first group of 8 students are invited to start their English presentation. Wearing burgundy T-shirts styled with raw spaghetti in their hair, students come forward and present their project they’ve been working on extensively since October: Pasta Madre.
The trailer for the video game has been released. It’s hard to believe that only students designed this work, and the work looks so professional. The game plunges us into Italy in the 1960s. Gratzilla, the protagonist of Lara Croft’s “Tomb Raider” appearance in a red suit and tie, works with the Del Campo gang that seeks to enrich as much as possible with pasta.
A very tangible first experience
After a few minutes of discussion with the jury, the Pasta Madre team made way for the Leap Shot team, made up of 11 students. The concept of the game is very different from the previous one. In a world like you can see From Disney or “Mario Smash Bros,” this interactive video game combines the disciplines of basketball, soccer, and parkour. Here again, the first images of the project are worthy of a real game. “I am impressed by what I have seen so far this morning. Rubica is an institution in the gaming world, and I have been impressed by the graduates of this school. The students’ projects are very close to reality, both technically and technically,” Matthew Davey de Verville of Dontnod Studio says:
“Students’ projects are very close to reality, technically and technically”Mathieu Davey de Verville, jury member
An opinion shared by the jury chairman, Sebastian Riccolvi, of Studio Asobo. “This is the fourth year in a row that I have been on the jury. These students get a close feel of what awaits them in their careers. They must learn to deal with stress and make choices. It is a very concrete first experience. Let us not forget that they are our future colleagues”
convenience for students
Once the presentations are over and their eyes are tired, the students of the first two teams leave the room to go to their workroom and have the professionals test their games. “It’s good to see people enjoying our video game. I was very nervous at showtime. The past few weeks have been complicated, we’ve spent a lot of evenings together. We all arrived very early this morning to make sure everything was ready”, explains Stanislas, 26, student programmer, project leader. Before adding: “I came up with the idea for this game in high school. I am happy to see it come to fruition today, although we received some criticism about the ergonomics, in particular.”
Across the room, the Pasta Madre team also answers questions from testers. “We have come a long way. But we had a lot of fun making this game. It is often the 5th grade and the video game project that is the reason why young people want to join Rubica”, shares with Lila, 23, a game design student.
good business card
It’s hard to favor one project over another because the universes are different and the level is high. Against Pasta Madre and Leap Shot, Plushies, Brume, Jivana, Live Adventure and Swift also compete. “But it’s not really a competition. The projects are very different. We don’t have the same concept or the same team twice. In the end, some awards will be given, such as the jury award. However, not everything depends on the jury. Constant monitoring is also important”, notes Frank Letick, the educational director of the Professor of Video Games.
This final exam before graduation is a good business card for students. “Moreover, more than three-quarters of them have already signed a pledge of employment before the end of the year.”Frank Leetick concludes. For the remaining quarter, it’s clearly an opportunity to grab the attention of famous studios appointed jury members. Who knows?
