Adriana Ferreira | Bachelor's Degree in Video Games and Multimedia Applications

Adriana Ferreira

Bachelor's Degree in Video Games and Multimedia Applications

Adriana Ferreira is a 3rd-year student on the Bachelor's Degree in Video Games and Multimedia Applications at Lusófona University - Porto University Centre. Initially interested in becoming an artist, she gradually became passionate about game design throughout her academic path, creating mechanics, rules and narratives for games. She therefore highlights the degree as a unique opportunity for those who enjoy technology and game creation.

“Hello, my name is Adriana Ferreira. I am a student on the Bachelor's Degree in Video Games and Multimedia Applications at Lusófona University - Porto University Centre.

When I started, I wanted to be an artist. I liked drawing and wanted to learn how to draw, but I think this course is not so much about that; it is more about deepening our knowledge of how to create games, and not so much about learning to draw, although we do have drawing and 3D modules. Throughout the first semester, we touch on various parts of game development, including programming, art, 3D and sound. I ended up falling in love with game design, which is basically what I like to call the architects of games — the people who think about mechanics, rules and write the narrative for the story — and that is what I became passionate about.

There were some memorable moments throughout the degree, especially whenever we worked on a bigger project and presented it at the VAM Showcase, which is a morning we dedicate to showing our games. We had two major games in the second year, one in the first semester and another in the second, and now in the third year, as we have more knowledge, we develop one large game over the whole year.

The support from lecturers is very strong; they give a lot of help to students, which I find very important. I feel people become more connected to us. We can always send messages and they always reply, they are very kind and help us a lot throughout our journey.

I would especially like to thank lecturers João Alves de Sousa and Ricardo Mota. I think they were both always very understanding.

Lecturer Ricardo Mota works in the industry; he works in a large company and I think that is one of the most valuable aspects of our course. He helps us understand what it is like to work in this industry, in a larger company. He gave me a lot of insight into the games industry and what it is like to work in a company.

A piece of advice I would give to students who want to join this degree is that making games takes a lot of effort. It is not as simple as people think, but in the end it is very rewarding. Spending hours working on a project and then seeing the result is extremely rewarding.

If you are thinking about joining games studies, I think you should go for it. It is not just a Video Games course as such, it is Video Games and Multimedia Applications. It has many career opportunities and I think it is a super interesting course for anyone who likes technology.”