Harper Matthews

I've been interested in video games for a very long time. My brother got me into Pokémon as a kid, and it’s always been something I've done in my free time. I grew up in Warminster in Wiltshire, which is very quiet, so I would spend a lot of time inside playing games. My favourite games are fantasy games - Rain World and Monster Hunter.

I remember coming to USW for the Open Day. I was a really big fan of the Taster session we had, because they showed us what we’d actually be doing on the course. The location was great too. I love Cardiff and the accommodation was literally right next door. 

Hands-on learning with Unreal Engine

My favourite part of the Games Design course so far has definitely been making games on Unreal Engine. Being able to work on a game for the majority of the time, just coding non-stop. I've literally had fun working, which I didn't think I would!

So far in first year, all the games we've made have been in teams. Some of the briefs have been set for us and some we've designed on our own. It's a good learning experience collaborating with others because working as a team is something you will experience when you're out in industry.

Independent study with expert support

A lot of the course itself is working independently, which gives you a lot more freedom to work where you want to work. Most of my independent study time is spent reading and coding, and then the three days a week of teaching time is where you get help from your lecturers.

The support is really helpful on a creative course because obviously you're still building your technical skills and knowledge of the subject. What we have on the PCs here is industry-grade software that we're going to be using it in the future, so learning to use it is brilliant.

Building a portfolio and planning for the future

I’ve learnt so much on this course - coding, communications and also how to write well.

Blueprinting became easier for me this year, and I've been able to make something I'm really proud of. Now I can properly code an AI, a bunch of spells or a whole UI system and it actually works… and that's incredible!

Everyone in the course is friendly and nice. And I know that we're collaborating with games, art and music students later in the year, so that will be a good way to meet more like-minded creative people.

In the future after I graduate, I’d love to either work at Rare or Cloud Imperium Games, both of which are in the UK. Or if I'm very lucky, I’d like to work at Valve which is in Washington.
My advice to people thinking about studying Games Design is to work hard and get your qualifications, but most of all, build a portfolio so you’re able to show that you have the skills.