If you aspire to work in the gaming industry, we’re sure you’ve heard of DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore [DigiPen (Singapore)].
Did you know that the institution began in Vancouver, Canada, as a computer simulation and animation company? Or that it has two international campuses, with one located on our little red dot? We share five interesting facts about the school right below.
1) DigiPen (Singapore) is the institution’s first international campus
DigiPen (Singapore) first opened its doors to students in 2008, after taking up an invitation from the Singapore government to offer its degrees here. The college partnered Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) in 2010 and currently offers five Bachelor degrees at the SIT@SP Building—where students make use of facilities such as a digital recording studio and computer labs equipped with the latest software to hone their craft.
2) DigiPen Institute of Technology is a pioneer in the video gaming education sphere
Did you know that DigiPen was the first school in the world to offer a bachelor’s degree in video game programming, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation? The college’s flagship degree trains students in mathematics, computer science and graphics technologies, equipping them with deep technical skills necessary to produce highly complex software systems and solutions. These include the fields of software development, real-time simulations, machine learning, as well as virtual and augmented reality, all of which are highly sought after today[i].
In Singapore, this degree is jointly offered by SIT and DigiPen (Singapore), with students getting the chance to study at DigiPen’s Washington campus for a trimester!
This is one of two joint degrees that were newly launched to meet the growing demand for ICT professionals in computer engineering, interactive media and game development. The second, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Interactive Media and Game Development, equips students with a strong foundation in mathematics, programming and design theory, training them to become software engineers with deep design skills and a thorough understanding of user experience.
3) The institution consistently ranks well for game design
If you’ve been interested in pursuing any of DigiPen (Singapore)’s other academic programmes, here’s some good news for you. The college has ranked amongst the top five game design schools for undergraduates by The Princeton Review for 11 consecutive years[ii]!
The Princeton Review’s list was derived from over 40 data points in four areas—academics, career, faculty, and technology—obtained from surveying 150 institutions, making this no small feat.
DigiPen (Singapore)’s graduates are also highly sought after, reporting an overall employment rate of 93% in the latest MOE Graduate Employment Survey[iii]. Many of their graduates have gone on to work in major corporations and AAA game companies. Some DigiPen (Singapore) alumni have also co-founded indie game studios to create awesome titles of their own.
Apart from the games industry, you can also find DigiPen (Singapore) alumni working in finance, automotive development, software and apps development, interactive media, and many other fields.
4) Some of your favourite games are the work of DigiPen (Singapore) graduates
Love the adorable and punny Cat Quest and Cat Quest II? We do, so here’s a huge spoiler: the studio behind the beautiful world of Felingard is local! Two of its three co-founders are DigiPen (Singapore) alumni. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation graduates Desmond Wong and Nursyazana Zainal are co-founders of The Gentlebros, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation graduate, Cheng Ding Xiang, was hired for the development of Cat Quest II.
The launch trailer for Cat Quest 2
If horror is more up your alley you’ll be familiar with Stifled, the spiritual successor to Lurking. Indie studio Gattai Games—whose founders are DigiPen (Singapore) graduates—is the mastermind behind this sound-based survival stealth thriller, where grotesque enemies in the game ‘hear’ your fear and will react to your screams and squeals through your microphone input.
DigiPen (Singapore) alumni have also contributed to the development, design, art, and production of games like Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and Koei Tecmo’s Nyapuri. We’re looking forward to seeing more of their work in the years to come.
5) DigiPen (Singapore) has its very own game studio
No joke! DigiPen Game Studios was established in 2015 with the support of the then Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Nintendo. The game studio works directly with third-party and independent developers in the region to create, publish and distribute original game titles. One such title they have published is Turtle Pop: Journey to Freedom, which was developed by local indie game studio Zengami.
DigiPen (Singapore) has seen over 2,000 students come through its doors since 2008, and you can be one of them too. Head on over to SIT’s website to check out the joint degrees and other programmes on offer. Courses are available in the fields of computer science, engineering, as well as art and design.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about this school. If you’ve more fun facts to share with us, do leave us a comment below. We can’t wait to hear from you.
[i] Udemy’s 2020 Workplace Learning Trends Report
[ii] https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=top-50-game-design-ugrad
[iii] https://beta.moe.gov.sg/uploads/Web-Publication-SIT-GES-2018.pdf