GameHub @ ONPU

erasmus

GameHub Logo

 GameHub concept

Odessa National Polytechnic University

Name of the regional GameHub

Training and Production Centre for development of computer games

Link to the official website

http://opu.ua/inter_coop/internationalprograms/projects/project3/gamehub

Justification of the GameHub activity at the University

Comprehensive analysis of the game development in IT-industry of Ukraine, which is conducted by PNU, established a number of major developments this industry:

– in Ukraine we see increase number of IT-companies, separate divisions, branches and number of employees ;

– in recent years digital game industry with exported main results of the manufacturing sector are developed;

– demand for skilled of IT professionals exceeds the supply, so that the employer puts high demands on employees and the level of skills and specialized skills of graduates do not meet these requirements, as is mostly theoretical;

– in Ukraine there is high demand on software specialist: mobile, flash, .NET, Java and web-programs; programming C/C ++ and .NET programming;

– in Ukraine we see increase demand for Designer games (gameplay designer, game designer of the concept of the game, a game technical designer, technical writer), programmer (GUI programmer, logic game programmer), 3D-environment specialist, animator;

– Employment centers do not conduct a comprehensive retraining of specialists in the game industry, limited to the disciplines of computer programming and design;

– ukrainian universities are not trains specialists in the game industry.

That mismatch between the demand of the IT-industry and offers education towards training specialists has many causes, one of which is the need for communication between specialists in human and technical areas. At the same time, the ONPU has not only institutes/faculties with specialties, but has a separate Faculty of Humanities, one of the specialty training which is “cultural”, and a separate Institute of Business, Economics and Information Technologies, one of the specialties which are business economics and marketing.

Through these educational opportunities ONPU can be successfully establishes center for training specialists for the IT in digital game field.

From 2016 already exists Master specialization training “Simulation of physical processes of computer games”, which is based on bachelor “Applied Mathematics”.  And this specialization in the future can appear several more considering economic and humanitarian components and component of software computer games.

Creation of training and production center will link different areas of training in a single process in accordance with the actual production cycle of computer games, which now exists in the IT industry.

Aims and objectives of the GameHub operation at the University:
describe overall regional objectives

The aim of  GameHub operation at ONPU – the educational process of developing computer games in education and industrial areas of activity.

Objectives of operations:

1) installation of hardware and software, which required to study the process of developing computer games, which includes the following steps: game design, animation/sound/video, programming, testing and distribution of games;

2) training of teachers for teaching the process of developing computer games;

3) training students and unemployed ATO-veterans for process of developing computer games.

Priority activities planned at the regional GameHub

1) preparation of concepts, theoretical framework, examples and development of educational materials for developed modules;

2) training of teachers for teaching of process of computer games developing;

3) training of students of IT-specialties and other professions related to design games, art and marketing for process of computer games developing;

4) retraining of unemployed people in the center of employment and ATO-veterans for certain specializations process of developing computer games;

5) training of members of the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the department “Computer Science” for development process of computer games in the form of individual work and workshops.

Organizational and managerial aspects of the GameHub

Management processes:

1) ensuring the process of training teachers to develop computer games;

2) the development of teaching materials for the educational process in the development of computer games;

3) interaction with employment centers in Odessa region;

4) cooperation with IT-companies of game industry in Odessa region.

Management structure:

– The level of GameHub leader and co-leader;

– The level of scientific and pedagogical staff, trainers;

– The level of laboratory technicians GameHub.

The principles of the GameHub organization at the University

1) The principles of specialization and division of work between the scientific and pedagogical staff and staff support of research Gamelab;

2) The principle of unity of purpose and leadership – the appointment of managers to coordinate interdependent activities;

3) Principle of development – evolution as gradual quantitative and qualitative change:

– the emergence and development laboratories;

– development and improvement of disciplines from computer games;

– preparation of an increasing number of teachers;

– training increasing number of students, schoolchildren and unemployed veterans ATO;

Features integration in the educational process:

– master cources in Department of Physics and Department of Applied Mathematics;

– course work and diploma work under the current curriculum as a part of which is the development of programs to be targeted exactly to the program was computer game;

– GameHub laboratory as part of computer systems institute will be used for work associated with the development of computer games;

– Department of postgraduate doctoral studies and research will monitor the progress of scientific research theses related to the development of computer games for specialty “Information Technology”.

Target audience

1) IT-companies of game industry, interested in specialists who know the technology development of computer games;

2) members of the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the direction of “Computer Science”, teacher of informatics interested in methodological link between computer games and educational process;

3) students of specialty “Culturology” at ONPU as interested in the study of the subject “Computer Game Design”;

4) students of the specialty “Marketing” at ONPU as interested in the study of elective courses “marketing of computer games” and “gamification marketing”;

5) students of IT-specialties at ONPU wishing to explore the features of computer games development at software, system and computer engineering;

6) teachers of IT-specialties, specialties “Culturology” and “Marketing” as interested in increasing the interest of students to study subjects related to the development of games;

7) teachers of the Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, which opened on the basis of the Bachelor “Applied Mathematics” Master specialization training “Simulation of physical processes of computer games”;

8) the unemployed people and ATO-veterans who wish to get basic knowledge about the process of developing computer games and knowledge in one of the phases of the development process.