In conversation with Daniel Fowke, BSc Games Development graduate

Daniel Fowke is a Games Developer and Programmer who graduated from our BSc Games Development course in 2021. During the last few years, Daniel has worked as a Tutor, Teacher, and Mentor in the Games industry and is currently working at virtual toy company Magicave. Daniel discusses what it’s like to work as a games developer and how he has used his degree to work within a design team.

Images courtesy of Daniel Fowke and MagiCave.

Why did you choose to study BSc Games Development at NUA?

I was really drawn to studying at NUA as I felt it presented a fantastic opportunity for me to make the leap from computer science to games development and enhance my creative skillset. I was also excited about collaborating with other courses such as the BA (Hons) Games Art and Design course. 

What does a typical week working at MagiCave look like?

A typical week at Magicave sees me working between the design and programming side of the company, helping to deploy the design team’s work into the various game projects we have in the works. It’s great being part of the whole process and seeing projects come to life. 

Can you tell us about your latest project making virtual toys?

The latest project at Magicave is creating our SOLID SDK that works to be the middle layer between the blockchain technology and our games. Using the SDK allows a user’s ‘Virtual Toy’ to be loaded into our projects, as well as third parties; with our first being the playable dNo dice you can see above. As a part of this I work to build game-ready content and work with the team to have the SOLID SDK integrate with them.

What would be your dream game to work on?

I’m really inspired by MMO games (Massively Multiplayer Online games) like Eve Online, Planetside 2 and World of Warcraft. They are a few of the games I have grown up playing and would love to develop some of my own in the future.  

What skills did you learn at NUA and how have they helped you in your career so far?

The BSc (Hons) Games Development course really allowed me to get to grips with how I could work within a team to take an idea from a working concept to a prototype. These experiences gave me the skills I needed to successfully work within a design team and be able to communicate on creating solutions together.

Do you have any tips for aspiring game developers?

Always push yourself to try something challenging and out of your comfort zone. I have learnt the most from getting stuck at every crossroad I faced in developing games so far and producing the solution. This is something I am still doing to this very moment and improving upon it repeatedly.

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