DAYNE FARIS

Dayne Farris is earning his B.S. in Media Arts and Game Development with an emphasis in Gaming Technology with a minor in Web Development and Administration. His love for computer science and creating video games drew him to the MAGD program.

 

What led you to choosing your field of study?
"I chose MAGD for my deep passion for the world of video games. I began playing video games when I was about 5 years old on my Gameboy color. After many years and many different game systems, I played my first ever online game known as Halo 3. This is the game that I have a deep connection with as many of my favorite memories of playing video games stems from this game. I first found out about game development in 2013 when I was almost able to go to a game studio to playtest one of their new titles! This experience led me to researching game development late through high school and realizing that it was a real possibility."

 

Why did you come to UW-Whitewater?​ 
"As I was searching for the right university for me, UW-Whitewater was one of the few universities in Wisconsin that offered a program in game development. Once I began looking through the curriculum of MAGD, I found that there were a variety of great options for me as an aspiring developer."

 

Share a class project with us?
"One project that I have created through this program is Requiem: The Lost Voices.Requiem is a horror game in which the player is trapped in a room where the key to escaping is to locate the lost voices throughout each level. This game was made for the GAMED (Game & Media Entertainment Developers) club game jam. A game jam is an event where groups of differing sizes attempt to create a game from scratch within a restricted time range around a provided theme. This game jam’s theme was 'Projection', and we were given a total of 48 hours to complete this project. Our group was composed of 6 individuals who worked on audio, programming, level design, and story. If you would like to play Requiem: The Lost Voices there is a link to download it here:   https://zaidisx.itch.io/requiem"

 

What’s your favorite part about being in MAGD at UW-Whitewater? 
"My favorite part of being in the MAGD program is being able to learn  not just the technology of game development, but also focusing on the design aspects too. Outside of the MAGD curriculum, there have also been a lot of extra curricular activities that I have taken part in that have been an awesome part of my journey. For example, the GAMED club has introduced me to many other students in the major, as well as some industry professionals! I have participated in several game jams through the club, and we have all produced some great projects together as developers. New to me this semester, I have been working with Bill Miller in the Motion Capture studio. Motion Capture is the process of recording patterns of movement digitally for the purpose of animating a digital character for a video game. This has been an extremely useful resource to have available on campus and I am planning on using this studio to create my own animations for future projects."

 

What’s your favorite part about being a Warhawk? 
"My favorite part of being a Warhawk has been the opportunity to connect with students and staff. While I began attending the main campus of UW-Whitewater after completing my General Education in 2020, I had already developed many great relationships with other students in the GAMED student organization. I have also developed great connections with my professors by showing my dedication and passion to becoming a strong game developer in the industry."

 

What do you hope to do after graduation? 
"After graduating, I plan to work at a gaming studio as a gameplay engineer, level designer, or UI/UX designer working on video games that will be enjoyed across the world. In the first five years out of college, I am going to attempt to work at a local studio in the Madison based area in Wisconsin. While working at a studio and expanding my skills in the industry, I plan to continue working on solo development through projects of my own to hopefully one day be lucky enough to create my own studio."

 

Favorite class to date?
"My favorite course I have taken through Whitewater has to be MAGD 272 with professor Nick Hwang. This course studied game development through the Unity game engine. My favorite part of this class was learning how to develop games through a modern game engine. Attempting to learn a game engine can be a daunting task, but this course really laid out the framework of how to develop a game through Unity. After developing my final in Unity, I have now developed several new games all using a lot of the framework I learned throughout 272."

Learn more about a degree in MAGD