"Anybody can buy cameras and computers, but quality motion-capture requires talent, skill, and experience. We are very pleased to share our experience with the talented students at The Guildhall at SMU to help them develop skills necessary for professional quality animation. Including MoCap is just one more way in which the program is setting the world's standard for game development education."

Michael McGar
President and Creative Director

“It is great to finally see a more formalized career path available to those aspiring to work in the games industry. A whole lot of fresh talent has been fortunate enough to participate in such a quality program and the industry in turn will benefit as well. We’ll always keep an eye on the high caliber talent coming out of The Guildhall at SMU program.”

Phillip Bossant
Executive Producer

"In early 2005, Archimage hired two graduates from the first graduating cohort at The Guildhall at SMU. We were starting two multi-million dollar Serious Game projects and were staffing from the ground up. We knew that the SMU program was new, but had heard many good things about it. It’s almost three years later and those two graduates are managing the entire game design and production team. It’s obvious that their schooling involved more than just how to make games. They have a solid understanding of how to conceive games, how artists and programmers need to work together, and how to meet deadlines. Much thanks to The Guildhall at SMU for providing such a great resource for talent."

Jerald Reichstein
Vice President

"As the landscape of game development continually evolves, it is vital to understand the core principles at work in the industry. The Guildhall at SMU recognizes this and has designed a curriculum that raises the bar in preparing students for professional work."

Jake Parker
Designer

"The folks at The Guildhall at SMU have put together a thorough development program that will serve the game industry well. Graduates of this program will not only have the 'creative' skills, but will be equipped to handle the often daunting challenges of professional game development."

Drew Fisher
Producer

"We at Edge of Reality couldn't be happier with our hires from The Guildhall at SMU.  We have found their education has prepared them very well for the real-world challenges they face in professional game development. Completing a master's degree program specifically for video game programming on top of a Computer Science undergraduate degree allowed the students to focus their entire time at SMU on learning game programming rather than sharing that time learning programming fundamentals. Because of this, they have taken ownership of meaningful pieces of our games rather than being assigned standard entry-level tasks."

Mike Panoff
Vice President

"The Guildhall at SMU is one of the few programs I have seen where students in the different disciplines of game development work together on completing a student project. I think this approach is key in instilling the problem solving and team collaboration needed to enter into the game development industry. Artists, level designers, and programmers all learning from each other, and working together to deliver a product on time and to the clients' expectations is what the game industry is all about, and the program enforces this. With industry professionals as instructors and visiting developers participating, The Guildhall at SMU truly provides a unique experience."

Brad Taylor
Senior Artist

"Learning to create assets and program efficiently is key in the gaming industry, and this program takes students beyond the basics and into this creation process and time-critical programming environment. Game developers who learn how to approach their work from this perspective will go far in this industry."

Graeme Devine
Programmer

"Art directors looking to bring new talent into their creative teams look for three things: strong traditional skills, particularly in the area of drawing; solid skill with the tools and techniques needed to create game art content; and most important, the ability to work creatively and productively with others in a team setting. The Guildhall at SMU understands those needs and has targeted its art curriculum to meet them."

Paul Jaquays
Artist

"Students graduating from The Guildhall at SMU are uniquely equipped with the tools and experience to become invaluable contributors to the gaming industry. Very few education programs successfully leverage the cumulative experiences of gaming professionals like this program does. Its students are thoroughly prepared for entry into one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world."

Tom Mustaine
Managing Director

"The level of commitment by both students and instructors at The Guildhall at SMU blew me away! Seeing the caliber of talent and the amount of growth demonstrated by the various in-progress projects convinces me these people take the art of making games seriously. The program is designed and implemented by gamers for gamers and the vibe is just like a small start-up game company. Dr. Raad's commitment and support as Dean and Executive Director represents how serious traditional academia is taking the validity of a formalized game development program for budding artists, programmers and designers. The perseverance and dedication of instructors succinctly represents the tenacity and seriousness of gamers everywhere. I have no doubts graduates of the program will be in that vanguard of next generation developers helping to raise the bar for our industry at every level."

Paul Steed
Co-founder

"The Guildhall at SMU deserves recognition for both its desire to educate and to place its students in the workforce. Rather than theory, their focus is practical implementation."

Katherine Anna Kang
President/CEO

"Involving experienced, successful and respected professional game developers with writing The Guildhall at SMU's curriculum was a very smart move and will likely give an advantage to all students in the program as they strive to become game makers themselves."

Randy Pitchford
President

“I have been consistently impressed with the video game candidates coming out of The Guildhall at SMU. When I see “Guildhall” on a resume I know that the candidate will be well-grounded not only in the theories of game development, but also in the hands-on technical skills found wanting in so many people trying to start out in this industry. The Guildhall at SMU program recreates as accurately as possible the environment of game development, giving me confidence that a new hire from them will be no stranger to teamwork and other demands of development. I love welcoming students from their program into our studio, and seeing ‘Guildhall’ on a resume is nearly a guarantee for a callback.

Paul O'Connor
Vice President/Design Director

"We are exceedingly pleased with the candidates we receive from SMU.  The Guildhall at SMU produces highly trained team players which integrate into our studio dynamic quickly and smoothly. High Voltage Software is very happy to be a part of the highly successful program that creates talented individuals to take our industry to the next level."

Kerry Ganofsky
CEO and Founder

"The Guildhall at SMU is a realization of everything I envisioned for a gaming education program; curriculum designed by industry experts for real-world skills is the key. I can't wait to teach at The Guildhall, and I recommend this program whole-heartedly! I believe gaming developers who attend The Guildhall will have a distinct advantage over graduates from other programs around the country, for the simple fact that from the ground up, this program has been designed to create professionals that game companies desperately want to hire. I really think a certificate from The Guildhall will be perceived as a huge plus on a candidate's resume. This program creates a win-win situation not only for those wanting to enter the industry but also for organizations looking for fresh, well-trained, new talent."

Tom Hall
Creative Director

"The Guildhall at SMU fills a critical need for qualified entrants into a maturing game development industry. With an industry backed curriculum and seasoned professionals as faculty, nothing comes close to the jump start students get into the exciting world of video game development. SMU students get real world experience that translates into real jobs at graduation."

Joe Kreiner
Developer Relations

"The Guildhall at SMU has a focused and industry-supported program. There is no other place like it to study game development, and the facility provides students a perfect place to create games. The administration and faculty are dedicated to providing students not only with the information and education needed to prepare for a career in games but also with access to numerous professionals within the industry -- and in the entertainment business, sometimes who you know is just as important as having a strong portfolio of work or the proper resume."

Jason Manley
Founding Director

"The Guildhall at SMU's curriculum was developed by level designers for level designers. This program teaches students how to create the virtual realms that will immerse and entertain tomorrow's gamers. Unlike many programs, The Guildhall at SMU offers coursework crafted specifically for level designers; we did not merely revise standard programming material."

Richard "Levelord" Gray
Co-founder

"Rarely have I seen a program that yields such impressive candidates. The cross-disciplinary training, combined with intensive production of actual games on multiple engines, gives graduates experience equivalent to many years in the video game industry, and a substantial jump in their careers. We've hired an entire (team) from The Guildhall at SMU, and are so far thrilled with the results."

Shane Hensley
Creative Director

“Not only do the graduates of the Guildhall have the proper training for careers in the video game industry, they have more than that. They have a real degree from an accredited University. They have knowledge beyond their discipline – they have been taught how to solve problems, learn from their mistakes, and grow as human beings as well.”

Mark Randel
President and Principal Technologist

"The Guildhall at SMU is setting the standard in preparing students for a career in the gaming industry. The intensity of their curriculum is one of the closest simulations to actual game development you can get in a classroom. Candidates that emerge from The Guildhall at SMU have a clear understanding of their capabilities and goals in the gaming industry."

Brett Norton
Lead Designer

"The Guildhall at SMU has set a new standard for entry-level design candidates. Without exception, the graduates we’ve hired are able to ramp up and contribute to projects very quickly. They’re versatile, technically proficient, and possess a solid grasp of the relationship between space and gameplay. Not only does their training prepare them for jobs in the game industry, it clearly attracts students with the talent and motivation to be successful."

Jason Scott
Studio Design Director