GC Alumnus Creates Successful New Video Game
Published: April 13, 2021
Around 67% of US households play video games, and in 2010, the average gamer spent 8 hours a week playing video games. The world of Game Development is alive and thriving mostly due to the rise of smartphones, iPads, and other similar devices. Game Design and Development classes are popping up all across the nation in college classrooms. Greenville College recognizes this trend and now offers a new Game Design and Development Track. Successful GC graduate,Kris Truitt is excited about the future of the DM program at GC.
Truitt graduated from GC in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in Internet Development and Information Systems (plus a Business and CIS minor). He is currently the Lead Web Applications Developer at GC. He created a game called, Master Spy, released on Sept. 8, 2015. The game is impressive and Truitt says, Aesthetically 'Master Spy' is inspired heavily by late 80s and early 90s games with the pixel art and cut scenes, which are things my teammates and I grew up with and appreciated.
Similar to any other creative endeavor, Truitt felt the pressure of the amount of work it took to create something excellent. The creation of "Master Spy" is a conglomeration of a lot of time and many pieces. Truitt encourages everyone to practice time management, something he learned in his time at GC in the DM program. He said, It's important to manage your time well, avoid burnout, and to have support for what you are doing.
GC already offers five Digital Media tracks: Film, Graphic Design, Recording, Internet Development and Information Systems. Students will be able to study games, experiment, develop skills, learn programming and understand theories. The door to the ever growing field of Game Design & Development will swing wide open for GC Digital Media students.
The Game Design and Development track is an extension to the DM core classes. The students enrolled will experience six new classes including Programming & Data Structures, Game Theory, Interactive Media and Game Development. Currently, two adjunct professors with gaming experience work on staff, and GC plans to hire additional professors as the track continues to develop.
Digital Media Professor Deloy Cole remarked, The Game Design and Development field is a 10.5 billion dollar industry and a growing field of study. Although other colleges may offer similar tracks, Professor Cole mentioned, GC offers a Christian perspective and a well-rounded experience which includes other elements of Digital Media (design, audio, video, animation and coding).
GC prepared Truitt in a unique way because of the benefits of a liberal arts education. According to Truitt, video games are a culmination of expression and media. Meaning they include art, design, music, story-telling, programming and many other aspects to create a worthwhile gaming experience. Not only this, video games, like so many other things, include business, accounting, advertising, marketing, PR and community relations. Truitt mainly focused on web development and programming while at GC, but he also studied a wide range of other topics which benefited him in his venture with "Master Spy." Truitt explains, A liberal arts education helped expand my skill sets and helped me to adapt to whatever the situation called for.
Currently, 80 students are enrolled in the DM department, but with the rise of opportunity in the game design and development industry, students will continue to pursue careers in DM and benefit from GCs Game Design and Development track. Truitt is just one success story of many. If GC empowered a 2007 graduate to be successful in game design, just imagine the opportunity the new Game Development and Design track will provide for future Greenville College graduates.
