The SAE Institute organised a showcase of its graduating students' projects. GameLab Manager Jeroen Derwort went to Amsterdam to take a look.
Visiting showcases from other programmes is a good way to benchmark the outcomes of your own programme. It is also useful for meeting talented students and discovering promising projects.
SAE's showcase was small in scale. Around eight projects were shown, each made by one student. SAE is primarily a creative arts institution, and the projects reflect that. They are not all games: they also include game worlds, short films and modelled and animated characters.
The solo projects are certainly impressive. By keeping their scope focused and concentrating on one specialism, the students can distinguish themselves in that area. Both Unity and Unreal Engine are used.
The project that impressed me most was a game about a train. Although it was not playable, you could watch the train travelling through different landscapes, with the conductor adopting a different pose each time. This simple concept remained engaging because of the beautiful scenery passing by. If the game becomes as enjoyable as its atmosphere suggests, it could really be something.
Who knows, we may see this and other games at next year's Dutch Game Awards.