In September 2023, award-winning games developer Ninja Theory hosted their second Cambridge LaunchPad Project Day
Twenty lucky students from North Cambridge Academy, Impington Village College, Coleridge Community College, and Parkside Community College visited Ninja Theory’s central Cambridge office.
These students were given the full Ninja Theory experience, culminating in the production of their own videos with customised environments, characters, VFX, and even self-created audio, all born from their imaginations. They were introduced to the many different departments involved in game creation and had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with Unreal Engine.
A female student from North Cambridge Academy told us:
“I feel really honoured to be here with other schools and share the experience with others that find it interesting and really want to be here. I found I was quite nervous when I first got here but as the day went on I started to get more positive about myself and I was able to do more.”
This experience was made possible by the fantastic Ninja Theory team, who guided the students throughout the day, sharing their knowledge and helping to bring the projects to life. A special highlight was being invited into the motion capture studio to watch them set up and calibrate the equipment ready to film a new scene for their game Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The previous year, one student mentioned that he is now considering studying drama, as it could help him pursue a career as a cutscene actor.
At the end of the day, we spoke with some of the students to find out what they enjoyed most about the day and what they learned:
“I loved how we got to see the behind the scenes at game design and design our own cutscene”
“Honestly, I liked all of it. I was never bored and it was all just so cool!”
“I would now think about a Job in STEM, join a club and look online. I would also apply for an internship.”
If you, your students or children have been inspired and want to get a taster of games development, click here to get an introduction to the Unreal Engine 5 software. Anyone could have the potential to become the next star of the gaming industry.
