Students of Game Design & Development had a unique opportunity to meet experts from the renowned People Can Fly, a Polish computer game producer.
The event was also attended by students of ZS No. 3 in Łańcut – the patron class of the GKiPM faculty. The „Business Lodge” meeting took place on November 21 this year. at the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów.
People Can Fly, known for titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, and Outriders, shared their experience in the gaming industry, presenting their achievements, including work on Gears of War: Judgment games and cooperation with Epic Games.
During the Co-Head of Studios, Europe meeting, Mateusz Kirstein presented what People Can Fly does. Meeting participants could, among others: learn about the history of PCF development and the flagship projects created by this computer game manufacturer. One could observe the originality, innovation, and rich graphic design of the presented games, which aroused the interest of students.
People Can Fly continues to expand its operations in Poland, and their branch in Rzeszów has been operating for over 5 years, focusing on game design and motion-capture activities. The Rzeszów studio employs four graduates of UITM (Computer Graphics and Multimedia Production and Computer Game Design), who also took part in the event. Agata Szrek-Walkosz (Administration Coordinator) led the discussion panel, talking to Gabriela Pelc, Piotr Rodzień, Wojciech Szpala and Volodymyr Tarasenko, who completed an internship at People Can Fly during their studies and now work as young specialists in the game dev industry (including (e.g. as animators, level designers, QA testers or asset specialists). As they agreed, studying at UITM allowed them to learn many useful skills and find their passions, and thanks to the University’s cooperation with People Can Fly, they were able to complete an internship and expand their knowledge in practice.
The „Business Box” meeting is not only an opportunity to hear about the secrets of the industry but also a chance to ask questions. Students had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of game development and learn about the requirements and specifics of work in this dynamic field.
The meeting with People Can Fly experts was extremely inspiring and educational for our students. We had the pleasure of hosting representatives of such a renowned company that has been making a mark in the history of the computer games industry for years. I hope that our cooperation will continue to develop and we will have the opportunity to organize further meetings of this type – says Dr. Gabriela Piechnik-Czyż, Vice-Dean of KMiKS for Computer Graphics and Multimedia Production. It is also worth adding that Computer Game Design Students have the opportunity to meet PCF representatives more often because as part of our cooperation, PCF experts conduct specialized classes – adds Dr. Piechnik-Czyż.
During the meeting, participants could get acquainted with two of several graphic science clubs – Extended Realities and the Board and Role-Playing Games Scientific Club. Additionally, an exhibition of student works prepared over the years under the supervision of Dr. Patrycja Longawa and Dr. Mikołaj Birek was also organized. The works presented the diversity of talents in the field of Computer Graphics and Multimedia Production.
I think that the meeting with People Can Fly not only broadened the horizons of our students’ knowledge but also inspired them to further efforts and work towards graphic design. I am grateful for PCF’s involvement in this entire process and I am glad that we can provide our students with such valuable experiences, explains Dr. Piechnik-Czyż.
