Our students

Why University and why Teesside?

After serving six years in the army, I was looking at progressing to the rank of Corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and it can be difficult to leave the forces with the additional benefits and pay that come with time served.

My partner and I were living in Bristol at the time, and with her stable job and now that I qualified for my tuition fees to be covered by the army, it felt like the right time to leave and go to university.

I’d been looking into universities for game related courses and Teesside looked like a great choice for what I wanted.

What do you like most about your course?

I like the approach of focusing on your own development which helps increase your employability. Lecturers are knowledgeable and nice to work with.

The modules all focus on creating games and you’re assessed on a piece of work you’ve created over a longer period. This approach of ‘the ball is in your court, do with it what you will’ really suits my style and I’ve really enjoyed the Foundation Game module. My lecturer identified I was doing well so was willing to be more critical of my work and push more challenging ideas my way.

How important is it for armed services personnel to get support when leaving the service?

It’s important that service personnel get support when they leave the service, and the army training team did a good job at putting me on the pathway, so I was able to claim my entitlements for university.

Without proper guidance, a lot of service personnel don’t know what opportunities are available for them and it can be very daunting as it’s a different way of life after leaving the forces.

What are your ambitions for the future?

I’m looking forward to working on projects independently and with other students in the hope of publishing them, and all being well, I aim to set up my own game studio.

Would you recommend Teesside and your course?

I would recommend game development at Teesside University to those who are motivated and passionate about creating video games and Teesside focuses on getting developers employed through connections to industry.