Destination: Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences
Study Period: September 2022 – February 2023
Affiliation/Grade at the start of studying abroad: School of Design, Department of Art and Information Design, 4th year

I chose Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences because I can learn game design through a team environment that is as rigorous as a bachelor thesis.

The curriculum spans different areas of game development, allowing students to learn programming, game design, visual art, technical art, management, and basic sound, all in the same department. In this way, it allows students to specialize in the field they want to pursue after understanding all aspects of game development. On the other hand, it is also very suitable for those who, like me, want to become a generalist and aim to become a game planner in Japan or a game director in general.

Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences is a must-go exchange university for Kyushu University students who want to work for a game company. I can assure you of this. It is difficult to apply for a job at a Japanese game company while studying abroad, but not impossible. As for the time difference problem, the work hours for game projects here are completely up to the team, and if necessary, polyphasic sleep can be used to overcome the problem. The best thing to do is to post your development progress on social networking sites to get scouted. Of course, you can also apply to CryTek, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Nintendo, all of which have connections with this school.

ZENG JIACHEN