LAMP has been an integral part of the interactive cross media & digital curriculum at AFTRS for the past four years. As well as its external facing activities works closely with all aspects of social and cross media in the Graduate Diploma for Directors & Production students, Foundation ‘Creating Experiences and Designing Worlds modules’ and MA specialist courses in Virtual Worlds, Social Media and Games.
Next year there are some great Graduate Certificate courses starting and LAMP will be very active in the Multiplatform and Games & Virtual Worlds offerings and recommend you to pass these around. More info here:
MULTIPLATFORM GRADUATE CERTIFICATE – This course provides a systematic and practical approach to multi platform content creation in order to provide emerging producers with skills to initiate and manage these projects. Students will learn to tailor content for emerging media platforms such as convergent television, broadband web and mobile devices and focus on alternate reality games, episodic social media and other emerging entertainment formats which utilise a combination of platforms to engage audiences. A comprehensive overview of media technologies, platforms and formats is provided in addition to real world exercises and briefs culminating in a final project that can be used by students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. More info here Multiplatform
The games and virtual worlds course is a great mix of social and goal orientated games design and incorporates much of what Ian Brown & Gary Hayes talked about recently in the Kotaku interviews. Again more information from the AFTRS MakeIt site:
GAME AND VIRTUAL WORLDS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE – This course concentrates on the development of original concepts for virtual stories, games, social worlds and innovative gameplay resulting in the creation of a working prototype by the end of the course. Designed for emerging games designers, writers and developers this creatively focused course utilises prototyping methods to rapidly generate ideas and concepts for innovative projects. The crossover between cinematic storytelling and virtual environments, particularly in the areas of cinematography, storytelling, character and environment design are investigated in real world exercises and briefs. More info here Games & Virtual Worlds
Both courses are postgraduate and part time (16 weeks / 1 semester – 2 evenings a week plus 1 weekend a month) so very doable for those working or involved in other activities. The course fee is only $5900.