Not only are we working together to craft a polished game over about three months, we also learn so much from the different educational experiences, backgrounds and talents that everyone involved brings with them.
Ryan C. Normand ‘22 will graduate this fall with a degree in game design and wanted to make the most of his final summer in college. After learning about the MassDigi Summer Innovation Program from Professor Jeff Warmouth, Normand was intrigued.
“It was an opportunity to work with other student game designers in a professional setting, and to launch a game,” he said. “It was a level above what I’ve been in classes at school and it was that big jump that interested me.”
The Swansea native is spending 12 weeks this summer at MassDigi’s headquarters on the Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus, working with fellow interns on creating a game prototype from the ground up under the guidance of industry mentors. The competitive program also includes housing and a stipend.
“The opportunity to work with other game design students from a dozen different schools and to learn from them has easily been the best part of this internship,” Normand said. “Not only are we working together to craft a polished game over about three months, we also learn so much from the different educational experiences, backgrounds and talents that everyone involved brings with them.”
Normand said his game design classes at Fitchburg State were great preparation for the internship because of their focus on teamwork and communication. “On top of that, due to the fundamentals that are taught in core game design courses, I had a bit of experience in every discipline, which has been phenomenal for my work as a producer,” he said.
As he looks ahead to graduation, Normand said he is grateful he made the choice to transfer to Fitchburg State. “I think what really sold me on the program at Fitchburg State was its diversity of courses,” he said. “The program offered a vast selection of classes in various disciplines requiring different skills and which has been unbelievably helpful in my learning experience.”
Normand also recommends his fellow students pursue meaningful internship opportunities as early as possible in their college careers. “The connections you make, the work you do and the things you learn can only happen in this setting,” he said. “It really opens up a whole new world.”