Gaming students level-up to become teachers at Coventry College

Two former gaming students at Coventry College are passing the pad to the next generation after making the transition from students to teachers.

Joseph Casey and Karol Marchewka left the college in 2015 and 2014 respectively, and are already teaching young pupils how to make a career for themselves in the gaming industry and its many growing offshoots.

Joseph, who is based at the college’s Henley campus, teaches level 3 extended art and games design, while Karol teaches level 3 games development at the City campus on Swanswell Street.

The pair see their youth as being a huge benefit in terms of understanding the industry that awaits their students and what opportunities lie ahead.

Joseph, 22, said: “The industry is developing so quickly and even from when I was a student here, provisions have improved to comply with that.

“The students are working on the best software possible – the industry standard – which will help set them apart when it comes to University and careers.

“We use software called Unreal Engine 4, which the most popular games of today are made on such as Gears of War, Fortnite and Borderlands 3 so this is a huge draw for students.

“As a former student, I am proud of how far the college has come and I am excited to see where we can take it.

“My teacher Rob Lambert is someone I really looked up to and I am very grateful that I can provide the same guidance to my students, as he did for our class.”

Other previous students have gone on to study subjects such as game art, games programming, 3D modelling, special effects for film and even screenwriting at university level.

Some move on to jobs at huge gaming developers such as Rockstar, famous for creating the Grand Theft Auto series of games.

Karol, 23, said: “The industry is really booming now and there are so many opportunities open to games students, so we encourage them to think as big as possible.

“Having myself and Joseph teaching them also gives them someone to relate to. We have industry experience and we have not long finished university ourselves, so we can tell them honestly about what that experience will entail.

“There is a really positive social side to games studies too – you meet a lot of like-minded, creative people and you can really become yourself in this environment.

“We also organise our own Esports team, which competes on a national level with other schools and colleges.

“This provides excellent opportunity for the student to grow their industry contacts and get career help and advice from industry leaders.”