This summer, 10 students and recent graduates were tasked with using their technical skill and creative flair to produce a working videogame prototype as part of the 2012 GRAND-Funcom Games Initiative. The catch? They only had 10 weeks to go from the original Funcom concept to a high-quality prototype of the game, titled Dungeons of Londree. 

The 2012 GRAND-Funcom Games Initiative was a hands-on, industry-focused project born of a unique partnership between GRAND and Funcom, an international massively multiplayer online game developer and publisher. The selected participants were JoDee Allen (Co-writer & Game Designer), Luc Bortolotto (Lead 2D Artist), David Holmes (Producer), Colin Kirk (Programmer), Andrew Kozloski (Project Lead & Game Designer), Katryne Laberge (Co-writer, Game Designer & 3D Artist), Colin MacDougall (Programmer), Nadia Miltcheva (Lead 3D Artist), Adam Reed (Lead Programmer), and Francis Sheridan Paré (Game Designer). These former strangers lived and breathed game development in the vibrant city of Montreal from June 11 to August 24, working on-site at Funcom's Montreal studio. 

Participants had to quickly find their feet and adapt to the processes, team dynamics and workflow management that take place in a professional game development environment. Fortunately, the team was up for the challenge. “We had people with multiple talents, people willing to learn new disciplines, and most importantly, a core crew of people with sufficient free time to spend their entire life in the studio for the two months making sure that everything got done," explains Andrew Kozloski. 

The 2012 Games Initiative team found plenty of support in the Funcom Montreal staff, who whole-heartedly welcomed them into the studio. Katryne Laberge credits their achievement to team dedication and "experienced mentors who provided guidance so we could make the best of it."  Integral to the success of the project was the tremendous support of Craig Morrison, Executive Producer and Game Director at Funcom, who shared his knowledge and passion about game development during regular meetings with the team. "Developing people is something I care passionately about, and getting the chance to assist with things like this is a fantastic opportunity," writes Morrison. The warm reception was greatly appreciated by the team, with JoDee Allen describing the studio atmosphere as "equally motivating, fun-filled and just plain awesome.” Participants couldn't have come at a better time, as Funcom ramped up for the release of their latest game, The Secret World. As Nadia Miltcheva recalls "To see, from inside the studio, the release of a big title, the stress, over-time and then joy and pride of the employees... It made me want to experience the same."

With only 10 weeks to complete the project, time was by far the biggest factor working against the new gamers. "The short time-span meant that systems often had to be partially implemented before they were completely designed," points out Colin MacDougall. However, participants were consistently impressed by what they could accomplish working within such challenging time constraints. Francis Sheridan Paré recalls a point when, certain an idea would require weeks of coding to complete, the programmer surprised him by replying, “No, it will be done in 15 minutes.” Showing incredible organization, co-operation and technical talent, the team more than rose to meet the task at hand, and delivered a working prototype of Dungeons of Londree right on target.

The hands-on experience gained through the Games Initiative will be invaluable to their career development; in a competitive industry like the gaming world, this experience shows future employers that participants have the necessary tools to jump in and immediately contribute to the success of the company. "The experience and networking gained during this project will make it much, much easier to enter the industry, and give me far more mobility once I'm actually inside. My actual career plan has not changed, but the speed of its execution has been greatly accelerated", comments Colin MacDougall. Colin Kirk agrees that his time with Funcom only solidified his future career path: "From this experience I can definitely say that programming is what I want to do for a career, specifically Gameplay Programming".  

Of course, nothing speaks for the success of the 2012 GRAND-Funcom Games Initiative like the final product, a working prototype of Dungeons of Londree. The game chronicles the adventures that take place when the player is transported to a mythical, sock-littered land after stumbling upon a portal in a laundromat washing machine. Click the above links (Mac and PC) to download the game, and try your hand at vanquishing the evil Duck Lord! 
 

The 2012 GRAND-Funcom Games Initiative Team