Student Highlights
Developing video games with real-world clients

Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) graduate, Ross, loved technology from a young age.

“Growing up, playing computer games helped to shape my interests. I wasn't so interested in hardware, so software seemed like the obvious route,” said Ross.

During his Honours year, he was given the opportunity to work with video game developer and publisher, MicroProse, as part of a student team.

“MicroProse approached us with a game concept and wanted to see if we could come up with any ideas that would make the game viable or interesting if they went to develop it further.

“Effectively, we made a high-fidelity prototype with ideas that might be used,” he said.

The students were tasked with designing and developing a strategy game set during World War II, where the player acts as a bomber commander for the Eighth Airforce – an American Bombing Division that operated in Northern Europe.

“We had a fair amount of autonomy with the game design and systems implemented.

“We would meet with two representatives from MicroProse every fortnight and internally every week to monitor the progress of each member and the game itself,” Ross said.

During the project, Ross acted as Project Manager and was heavily involved in client liaison. He says the experience of interacting with real world clients was a major degree highlight.

“I was there to steer the ship and make sure the team were moving in the right direction.

“This was a really valuable experience. Managing seven other individuals while also contributing myself was quite challenging but extremely rewarding at the same time,” he said.

Ross says the the opportunity to meet and work with like-minded peers helped him achieve more than he ever thought possible.

“The team I worked with in my final year and the people I have worked with in previous years have been extremely motivated individuals.

“We would constantly bounce off each other, helping to elevate each other to a point where I would never have seen myself get to,” he said.

Ross also fondly remembers the Introduction to Professional Engineering course which was run by Dr Dylan Cuskelly.

“Dr Cuskelly really made the course something to remember.

“I had the opportunity to tutor this course over the last two years. This has been incredibly rewarding in helping to develop a new generation of young software engineers,” Ross said.

When looking to the future, Ross is considering a broad range of career options.

“There are so many avenues that we can pursue post university life that we don't have the time to even scratch the surface in our studies.

“Knowing this, I just hope to find compelling work that keeps challenging me,” he said.

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Ross Waddell

Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) graduate, Ross, loved technology from a young age.

Managing seven other individuals while also contributing myself was quite challenging but extremely rewarding at the same time.