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VFX, Animation & Gaming Industry Professionals Inspire APU Community @ MYDCF 2023
Meeting industry professionals is an excellent way to network, learn, and grow. It is also an important part of education growth that leads to inspiring, encouraging, and driving students to reach their goals.
Building relationships with industry experts is a great way for students to learn about the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in their field. It can also help them understand future challenges and opportunities.
That is why the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) through the School of Media, Arts, and Design (SoMAD) and School of Computing (SoC) sent over 50 students and staff to the Malaysia Digital Content Festival (MYDCF) 2023 held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC).
MYDCF is a celebration of Malaysia’s thriving digital content industry, showcasing the best and brightest in local and international talent.
It took place from 27 September to 1 October 2023 and is SEA’s largest digital content exhibition for enterprises and the public, with 16,800 participants and 150 exhibitors.
At MYDCF, APU students had the chance to meet and learn from industry experts in animation, gaming, and visual effects. They also attended workshops and seminars on topics such as game development, 3D animation, and digital art.
Learning from industry experts
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| (First photo) Ms. Christina (second from the left) and (second photo) Mr. Sinan (third from the left) are two of the experts that APU students met at MYDCF. | |
One of the highlights of the event for APU students was meeting experts from Microsoft XBOX, Nintendo, Bushiroad Inc., Media Prima Berhad., Larian Studio, Todak, Durioo, Passion Republic Games, Kru Studio, Monsta Studio, Warnakala Studio, and many more.
Some of the industry professionals that APU students met at MYDCF 2023 include Mr. Bazil Akmal, Manager of Sony Interactive Entertainment Play Station Studio Malaysia; Ms. Christina Caspers, Trixter Denmark’s Managing Director and Visual Artist; Mr. Sinan Ismail, Founder of Didi and Friends animated series and Mr. Makoto Ishii, Director of BandaiNamco Studio Malaysia-Japan.
Ms. Christina worked on the visual effects (VFX) for Ironman 2, Black Panther, Thor Ragnarök, Guardian of the Galaxy, and many more Marvel, DC, and Disney films, while Mr. Makoto worked on Tekken, Elder Rings, Dark Souls, Armoured Core, and Pac Man.
Valuable experience
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| APU students can try out the latest video games and attend workshops and seminars on areas including game production, 3D animation, and digital art at MYDCF. | |
“It was great to witness the animation, gaming, and art style of the company that conducted the pitching,” said APU Animation students Muhammad Lukman Jamaludin, Kho Tong Fook, See Jin Wei, Kok Hoyi, and Farhah Nabilah Faish Azim Yahaya unanimously.
Other MYDCF participants, APU Design and Media students Low XinYi, Michi Tan Ziyu, and Tan Zi Yang, admitted that participating in the digital festival helped them learn about the software utilised in the industry today.
For example, in the VFX industry, many professionals prefer Houdini to Maya for 3D animation and texturing.
Khor Chin Yee (Multimedia Technology), and Yeo Yi Juan (Multimedia Technology specialism in VR/AR) added that the opportunity to participate in MYDCF workshops and conferences will benefit them in the future.
“We learn so many things, especially about current market trends in the industry, life-changing experiences shared by speakers who talk about their careers, and real-world perspectives from notable people. We excited to apply what we have learned to our studies and future career.”
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Tan Chin Ike, Head School of Computing (SoC), was invited to speak as a panellist at the conference XR in Today's Education: From Theory to Immersive Practise.
In the conference, he shared his view on the current applications of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed reality (MR) in education and why Extended Reality (XR) technology is touted as an effective tool for learning applications.
He also highlighted about what the different between VR, AR, MR and XR and how the future of immersive technologies would look like.
Head School of Computing (SoC) Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Tan Chin Ike (four from left) was also invited as a panellist at the XR conference in Education Today: From Theory to Immersive Practice.
APU booth hit with school students
Among the student helpers who assist in providing information about the courses available to students interested in continuing their studies to the diploma, degree, and further levels.
In addition to attending workshops and conferences, APU staff and student helpers also managed booths that received a warm response from high school students who were attracted by the interactive displays.
The booth showcased the best work of SoMAD and SoC students, such as video games, animations, and interactive art projects in video format.
Besides recruiting new students, APU staff and student helpers were on hand to answer questions and provide information about the university’s programmes.
Among those who attended were Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Tan Chin Ike, Mr. Edwin Pio Rufus Samiraj, Ts. Dr. Siti Azreena Mubin, Dr. Lai Ngan Kuen, Mr. Jacob Sow Tian You, Mr. Imran Mahalil, Mr. Vikram Singh, Ts. Ong Tee Chuan, Mr. Chua Soo Han, Mr. Jack Lai Yong Geat, Mr. Mohd Norhazli Mohamed Azlanudin, and Ms. Vivienne Foo Rui Hua.
Ms. Valerie Tan Nee Sien, Mr. Ryan Tan, Mr. Cheong Jian Wei, and Ms. Tan Teck Ting from Student Services were also present, as were five student helpers who are currently studying Computer Games Development, Brenden Tan Poh Guan, Wong Sheng Hong, Tiffany Goh Wai Kuen, Cheng Wei Young, and Moses Tan Bing Feng.