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Nichola Humphreys

Profession
BA (Hons) Games Design student
College
London College of Communication
Person Type
Student
Nichola Humphreys

Biography

Nichola Humphreys is a final year student on BA (Hons) Games Design at London College of Communication.

Interview

Why did you choose to study this course and why London College of Communication?            

UAL was the most welcoming out of all the universities I attended open days and interviews for. Walking past all the displays of other students work, not just BA (Hons) Games Design was super inspiring. Games design has always been a passion for me and when attending my interview it made me think that games design is much more than what players see on their screen, it really opened my eyes to the number of opportunities that can arise from attending this course. This university made me eager to learn all the different elements of games design.

What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on so far?  

During the second year of my course, on a single-player board game unit, I paired up with another student to make 'QuickFlip'. Our project was a puzzle game loosely based off of Othello and Snakes and Ladders, where we created a custom made box and designed and laminated all the box art ourselves. The most interesting part is that the board game went down so well with testers and other students that we developed it into a mobile game on the Play Store.

This unit taught me the art of minimalism and how not every game needs the biggest narrative or detailed artwork to be a fun game. In addition to that, this unit taught me that mechanics are key for game development as that is how the player interacts with the game, without it a game is unenjoyable.

Have you had any opportunities to engage with industry whilst on the course?

Yes, with my course, I have been given the opportunity to attend several large gaming conventions such as EGX and EGX Rezzed, as well as having many people from the game development industry give lectures to my class.

What important piece of advice would you give to students thinking of studying this course?

Do not be afraid of being yourself. UAL has an extremely diverse student community so it's very easy to makes friends. Expressing your individuality and making projects outside of the timetable and sharing them is a great opportunity to show yourself off to the world as well. Displaying prototypes into gifs is a great way for people to experience your game and development skills prior to publishing it.

What has been the highlight of your LCC experience so far?      

Making incredible friends. So many of them have helped me out if I got stuck on issues or development of my projects and have put me in so many moments of laughter to the point of crying. Having such amazing friends inspires me to make great games, so much creativity is bounced off each other and it's hard not to make a fun game when they're around.

What are your career aspirations? Where would you like to be in five years' time?    

I'd love to be working for an innovative indie game company such as ustwo studios, ZA/UM or Bossa Studios and being nominated for a Game Award. Either that, or working on my own independent game as I have so many ideas for games that I would love to release into the world. I would love to be in a position where I can inspire future games design students to go into the games industry as the possibilities are endless in this creative field.

How do you find being a student in London? What would your dream day in London look like?

Student life in London is absolutely bonkers. There are so many interesting things to do in London and around Elephant and Castle, especially German Kraft Beer where my friends and I often hang out after a big submission and enjoy great food with pint glasses the size of my head, especially considering they have a student discount. My dream day would be going to one of the several gaming bars in London with a load of friends where we can all drink (responsibly) and have a great laugh together by playing games together like Cards Against Humanity, Overcooked and even the N64 GoldenEye game.

If you had to describe your LCC experience in three words, what would they be?

Unbelievable. Inspiring. Greggs (we often spend lunches there).

Related area

View the BA (Hons) Games Design course page.

London College of Communication

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 6500

Address

Elephant & Castle

London
SE1 6SB