Playing the career game
By : Chris Choi Yan-lok, School of Creative Media
My teachers and fellow students know that I get a lot of joy out of developing games. It’s no wonder, they think, that my interest is now becoming my career.
I have already had some success. After seven years of development, I launched the world’s first rotation control mobile rhythm game in May this year. Inspired by related arcade games, I have incorporated motion control elements into a mobile game. As a result, players can tap and rotate their phones according to the rhythm. Creativity is certainly the key to success for this invention, as it is for any invention.
I was delighted that a trailer for my game received such an overwhelmingly positive response after it was uploaded online. This helped get the attention of a major game publisher, and we finally signed an agreement for launching the game onto the market.
I started playing computer games when I was a child and I then started to read books and other related materials about programming. At first, I tried to create small games using PowerPoint. Later, when teachers in my secondary school asked us to use PowerPoint to present our projects, I worked hard to develop an actual game instead for my presentation. I liked to invite my classmates to play my games for interactive learning. I was welcomed in class because my classmates appreciated my efforts!
My obsession with developing games meant my mind was occupied by all sorts of design ideas when I was at school. During the year spent preparing for my HKDSE examination, I had an “ad-hoc” idea for developing a game that could help other students memorise model essays stipulated in the syllabus. The game received overwhelmingly positive feedback and I continued to work on enhancements even after the HKDSE exam.
Since I have acquired a solid foundation in programming, studying at CityU is relatively straightforward. I continue to obtain more knowledge in class and improve my technique, too. Moreover, CityU has provided me with a lot of opportunities to engage with the game industry, such as working at corporations, attending seminars, and getting advice from professionals.
To get connected with the industry, I worked part-time for overseas organisations while in high school. I also took part in game development projects via long-distance. While at CityU, I interned at a major corporation one Christmas, an experience that gave me the chance to programme a series of interactive installations for the promotion of a shopping mall. This precious experience improved my programming skills and taught me a lot about business operations.
Launching the spinning mobile music game is the first step in my career development. I will continue to run this game and add upgrades. Determined to pursue academic studies and my career goal at the same time, I plan to set up a small-scale company for developing games.
