Our Game Design Courses
Bachelor of Creative Arts (Game Design)
2 Years (6 trimesters)
Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane - Australia
Undergraduate
Combine interactivity, game design and programming with traditional art practice and animation with a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Game Design)
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Diploma of Creative Arts (Game Design)
8 Months (2 trimesters)
Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane - Australia
Undergraduate
At Diploma level, design, develop, prototype and implement an idea, and gain hands-on knowledge of leading industry software and game engines.
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Our Lecturers
Sean Callinan
The essence of Sean’s career has been a broad-ranging interest in all aspects of design for film, television and other screen media. His career prior to teaching spans a wealth of experience, beginning as co-founder of his own production company, Meaningful Eye Contact (MEC), with Alex Proyas and Peter Miller. Sean quickly garnered a reputation for eye-catching visuals and inventive concepts. While producing music video clips for high profile acts such as INXS, Crowded House, and Fleetwood Mac, Sean developed a passion for the disciplines of production design, art direction, graphics and animation that would become instrumental in his future career.
During this period Sean received an AFI nomination for “Best Art Direction” for his work on Alex Proyas’ post-apocalyptic gothic fantasy feature Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. MEC were also the recipients of a number of music video awards through the eighties.
Having turned freelance, Sean continued to work on numerous television commercials, music videos, television productions and several more feature films. Animation and motion graphics had always been an important part of his practice, but in 2001 Sean made the decision to leave Production Design and focus on these areas whilst undertaking a Masters in Design at UTS.
Since then he has undertaken a range of work including infographic animation, screen graphics, museum interactives, collaborations on broadband and mobile platform content, and personal projects. Prior to accepting the role as Head of Animation and Game Development at JMC Academy, Sean taught animation, video design and screen-based media at UTS for over twenty years.
Sean is also the former Head of Animation and Game Development at JMC Academy.
Sean Callinan
The essence of Sean’s career has been a broad-ranging interest in all aspects of design for film, television and other screen media. His career prior to teaching spans a wealth of experience, beginning as co-founder of his own production company, Meaningful Eye Contact (MEC), with Alex Proyas and Peter Miller. Sean quickly garnered a reputation for eye-catching visuals and inventive concepts. While producing music video clips for high profile acts such as INXS, Crowded House, and Fleetwood Mac, Sean developed a passion for the disciplines of production design, art direction, graphics and animation that would become instrumental in his future career.
During this period Sean received an AFI nomination for “Best Art Direction” for his work on Alex Proyas’ post-apocalyptic gothic fantasy feature Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. MEC were also the recipients of a number of music video awards through the eighties.
Having turned freelance, Sean continued to work on numerous television commercials, music videos, television productions and several more feature films. Animation and motion graphics had always been an important part of his practice, but in 2001 Sean made the decision to leave Production Design and focus on these areas whilst undertaking a Masters in Design at UTS.
Since then he has undertaken a range of work including infographic animation, screen graphics, museum interactives, collaborations on broadband and mobile platform content, and personal projects. Prior to accepting the role as Head of Animation and Game Development at JMC Academy, Sean taught animation, video design and screen-based media at UTS for over twenty years.
Sean is also the former Head of Animation and Game Development at JMC Academy.
Mark Dickie
As a freelance computer graphics generalist, Mark has gained expansive experience working in animation, motion graphics and asset creation for games, television and the web. Outside of the classroom, he is involved in a number of independent games development projects.
While he has been involved in a number of exciting games and animation projects over the years, he feels privileged and most proud of being integrally involved in the development and roll out of JMC Academy’s cutting edge games and digital animation degrees.
Mark credits his success to his commitment to lifelong learning, continued engagement in his artistic medium and collaboration with other highly talented creative practitioners. In turn, these are all attributes he nurtures in his students to help them build their creative future as the next generation of Gamers and Animators.
Mark Dickie
As a freelance computer graphics generalist, Mark has gained expansive experience working in animation, motion graphics and asset creation for games, television and the web. Outside of the classroom, he is involved in a number of independent games development projects.
While he has been involved in a number of exciting games and animation projects over the years, he feels privileged and most proud of being integrally involved in the development and roll out of JMC Academy’s cutting edge games and digital animation degrees.
Mark credits his success to his commitment to lifelong learning, continued engagement in his artistic medium and collaboration with other highly talented creative practitioners. In turn, these are all attributes he nurtures in his students to help them build their creative future as the next generation of Gamers and Animators.
Robyn Dixon
Robyn Dixon, the Head Lecturer for Animation and Game Design at JMC Academy in Melbourne, has an impressive background in the industry.
She previously held the position of Senior Lecturer for Animation at JMC Academy, showcasing her expertise and dedication to the field. Robyn's experience extends beyond academia; she was a UI Artist at Big Ant Studios, contributing to the visual aspects of gaming experiences. Her professional journey also includes working with notable clients such as the School Library Association of Victoria, Hardie Grant Egmont Publishing, Jetstar, Appster, Moose Toys, and Restless Socks, highlighting her versatility and wide-ranging skills.
Robyn's return to JMC Academy reflects her ongoing passion for animation, games, ethical education, and leadership, all of which will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and growth of the Animation and Game Design department.
Robyn Dixon
Robyn Dixon, the Head Lecturer for Animation and Game Design at JMC Academy in Melbourne, has an impressive background in the industry.
She previously held the position of Senior Lecturer for Animation at JMC Academy, showcasing her expertise and dedication to the field. Robyn's experience extends beyond academia; she was a UI Artist at Big Ant Studios, contributing to the visual aspects of gaming experiences. Her professional journey also includes working with notable clients such as the School Library Association of Victoria, Hardie Grant Egmont Publishing, Jetstar, Appster, Moose Toys, and Restless Socks, highlighting her versatility and wide-ranging skills.
Robyn's return to JMC Academy reflects her ongoing passion for animation, games, ethical education, and leadership, all of which will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and growth of the Animation and Game Design department.
Petr Joura
Petr Joura
Vannasouk Phadilok
Vannasouk is a passionate game developer and educator with over a decade of experience. He has been involved with the project management and development of a wide range of published game titles.
He is the co-founder of Gamesage, a private software development company. This business continues to develop software and game development solutions for business around the world.
Vannasouk is passionate about interactive entertainment, education and community; and has built a career striving to enrich each of these avenues.
Vannasouk Phadilok
Vannasouk is a passionate game developer and educator with over a decade of experience. He has been involved with the project management and development of a wide range of published game titles.
He is the co-founder of Gamesage, a private software development company. This business continues to develop software and game development solutions for business around the world.
Vannasouk is passionate about interactive entertainment, education and community; and has built a career striving to enrich each of these avenues.
Az Valastro
Az Valastro is a Game Developer and Artist, who previously studied Game Design at JMC Academy. They have a passion for all areas within both digital and tabletop game development. Outside of lecturing at JMC Academy, they develop and release card and digital games independently with their brother, through the business they run together.
Az Valastro
Az Valastro is a Game Developer and Artist, who previously studied Game Design at JMC Academy. They have a passion for all areas within both digital and tabletop game development. Outside of lecturing at JMC Academy, they develop and release card and digital games independently with their brother, through the business they run together.
Shaye Hayes
Shaye Hayes is a creative lecturer in Game Design, Animation and Design. Outside of lecturing, Shaye is involved in games entertainment.
Shaye has also published a paper on the principles of immersion for virtual reality and is currently working on her master's degree.
Shaye Hayes
Shaye Hayes is a creative lecturer in Game Design, Animation and Design. Outside of lecturing, Shaye is involved in games entertainment.
Shaye has also published a paper on the principles of immersion for virtual reality and is currently working on her master's degree.
FAQs
Yes. We offer multiple pathways into the course regardless of your current drawing abilities and art is one of these pathways. If you don’t feel all too comfortable drawing, we offer pathways in technical and conceptual skills.
A portfolio essentially relates to samples of your work. If you have nice finished artwork, that’s fantastic, but not essential. What we’re looking for is that you have a drive to create things and are passionate about the field, so show us that in your portfolio. Things like sketches or drawings, notes, ideas and characters you’ve invented are all great.
It’s your passion for creating, telling stories and discovering new forms of play that we’re really looking for, and we teach the course from beginner level up so you’re in good hands.
The Game course is primarily focused on art and design, but we recognise that a familiarity with scripting and programming is a key part of the skillset of a game artist, and you will certainly learn skills in those areas as well. The emphasis is on understanding the theory behind games, designing interesting challenges, mechanics, concepts and stories, and creating the art and assets for those concepts. You would be studying a mix of art and design, software and programming skills, and theoretical concepts.
Yes. The JMC Academy is registered and regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) which is Australia’s independent national regulator of the higher education sector, both public and private.
No, our courses are hands on and practical. Students are required to attend classes to receive ongoing mentorship, learn new skills and work with the equipment provided. We do encourage our students to use online study resources, however our courses would not be as immersive as they are without the practical component.
While the availability of internships and work placements depends on the individual companies and studios in the industry, we have strong relationships with many practising game designers and game studios. As a result of these connections there is the potential for you to experience internships and placements, studio visits, talks and workshops by industry practitioners, and assessment feedback opportunities from industry people during dedicated 'speed networking' nights. Where practical, interviews will be arranged for individual graduating students with companies seeking to recruit new talent.
Applications used in the Game Design course include Maya for modelling and animation, MotionBuilder for motion capture, Substance Painter & Designer for texturing and ZBrush for digital sculpture.
Unity 3D will be your core game engine and you'll work with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects. You will also have the chance to try a range of other packages such as Nuke, SourceTree & Foundry Mari.
