MSc Video Game Enterprise, Production & Design graduate Rohana talks to us about her role as Project Manager and the latest project she worked on for Naughty Dog on their new game, which is one of Sony's fastest-selling PS4 releases this generation.
What was your favourite thing about your time studying at BCU?
I would say the surrounding environment and the people. I came from a different country with a totally different culture and weather, so I really enjoyed the scenery and being able to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds - some whom I have become great friends with and still keep in touch with today. I will always cherish the time that I spent at BCU.
What have you been up to since graduating from BCU?
I am back in my home country Malaysia and working as Project Manager at Passion Republic, an external game development studio in Kuala Lumpur. We have worked on various AAA games from Dark Souls 3, Mortal Kombat 11, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Uncharted 4, Gears 5, The Last of Us 2 and, our latest game, Ghost of Tsushima. Recently, we’ve had our very own game development division team, Passion Republic Games, working on our very first game IP called Gigabash – a 4-player Kaiju brawler game for PC and consoles.
Why did you want to work in gaming?
I have always loved playing video games and I remembered it being a major part of my childhood. I grew up playing games such as Mario, Midtown Madness, The Sims and Pokémon – I would spend so many hours on these games. My parents ended up buying me a PlayStation 2 when I was 12. The first game I played on it was Final Fantasy 10 and that opening scene just blew my mind. I just knew then that I wanted to be in the gaming industry.
Did BCU prepare you for a professional career?
The course certainly had an influence on my professional career. Before coming to BCU, I had a degree in Virtual Reality so I already had some understanding of the creative process, but Gamer Camp has taught me more in-depth about it. I also wanted to learn more of the production process from a wider perspective which was one of the reasons why I took the course. I was able to learn everything from game design and production to managing teams. Not just that, the course structure was also interesting as it had us in a simulated working environment – you had to be at the studio from 9-5 from Monday to Thursday working on a game project with everyone. So you learn to work with the team, generate discussions, solve problems, pitch ideas and, because of this, you also get to apply the theories that you’ve learnt quickly and have more hands on experience. This was really helpful and made my transition easier when I got my job.
What has been the highlight of working in the gaming industry?
I always thought that being able to work on cool projects would be the biggest highlight for me but, after being in the industry for a while, I’m just grateful to be able to work alongside such an amazing team that don’t just have passion for the work they are doing but are also caring and respectful towards each other.
What was it like to work on the new The Last of Us game, which was so well received?
I am really excited and glad that the game was well received. This was our third collaboration with Naughty Dog. Previously, we worked on Uncharted 4 and also Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Over the years, we were given a lot of opportunities to support their internal team from concept art to creating 3D assets. Especially with The Last of Us, our team was on-board from the beginning. We supported on visualizing some of their story beats, gameplay ideation as well as some graphic design, so it is exciting as we get to see the game slowly coming together and are able be part of the whole journey. Not just that, our 3D team were also able to work on various props and some playable area within the game. To ensure everything went smoothly, we would be communicating with their internal team on a daily basis so, even though we are on a totally different continent, it really felt like we were working in the same room.
Games, Film and Animation
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