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Student Trip: Cyber Security Expo, Bristol

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Computing students on a number of our undergraduate degree courses recently had the good fortune to attend the Cyber Security Expo taking place in Bristol.

This event, one of the largest trade events in the UK, brings together employers and potential employees such as our students, and is attended by some of the largest international security companies, all able to give our students unique advice & insight into how to further their careers in the sector.

Our students were able to talk to many of the companies in depth, creating networking oppurtunites, and gaining the certainty that the skills they’re learning about are in demand by the industry.

Staffs Uni students with their prizes!

A number of Staffs Uni students also completed a challenge run by Huawei, seeing them taking home a Raspberry Pi each!

Here’s what one student had to say about the day…

“…it was an excellent trip, and allowed me to “network” with large companies and talk about what is expected in terms of technical & soft skills when I graduate, and allowed me to put my name out there in the industry and pick up industry contacts”

TableTopTapOut Student Board Game Expo

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In a change from what might usually be expected from a Computer Games Design portfolio of courses a strong strand of analog games design stems through the courses that focus on understanding games ‘BSc (Hons) Computer Gameplay Design and Production’ and ‘BA (Hons) Games Studies’. In the level 5 Module ‘Gameplay Applications’ students have been working on a solo board game design task – cumulating in a Board Game Expo hosted in the Henrion Gallery on April 24th.

The Board Games have been designed with the theme of ‘making something mundane fun’ and all the elements of the design and the production were left up the students, including in some cases commissioning illustration and comic design students to work on the art aspects of the games.

Themes for the games varied greatly but included cleaning kitchens, washing clothes, stocking pound shops, packing for mini breaks, selling ice creams, commuting, commuting in space and infiltrating the food chain with questionable ingredients.

Nia Wearn, the module leader said “it was fantastic event and an excellent showcase of the student’s hard work. Many of the games have been produced to a high level and it was great being in a central place in the university surrounded by people enjoying new games”.

The event was open to the public and number of local board game players came to play and feedback to the students. We were also lucky to have a representative from PlayTest UK (http://www.playtest.co.uk/) attend, giving valuable advice to the students about the validity of the students game in the current marketplace.

“We’ll be running the module again next year so anyone who wants to get involved, or suggest a theme for the students to work on please don’t hesitate to get in touch” – Nia Wearn n.h.wearn@staffs.ac.uk