GAMES PROGRAMMING ALUMNUS, CAMERON MCKAY

We caught up with SAE London Games Programming student Cameron Mckay who came to SAE during the first UK lockdown, with the intention of starting a career in the games industry. We spoke to him to find out more about BiteSize Mechanics, the YouTube channel he has started to help aspiring programmers get started.

What made you want to study games programming at SAE?

Before I learnt how to code I had been curious about how games were made and how programming works because I loved to play games as I’m sure most developers do but to put it simply, I always thought it to be too difficult. When the first lockdown hit the UK I found myself out of work so I took the opportunity to learn how to actually make a simple desktop game on Unity and from there I just decided to apply to SAE and attempt to start a new career.

Why did you choose to study at SAE London?  

I am very eager to get started with my career so SAE’s accelerated course structure is ideal for me to be able to graduate within two years of starting.

What have you enjoyed so far about the course? 

I have enjoyed working with 3D engines and learning how to use C# for Unity. Also learning object-oriented programming fundamentals opens my mind to more possibilities. This aspect is also really exciting.

What have you been doing in class recently? 

I have been working with Unity and learning the fundamentals of game design.

You’ve recently launched a YouTube channel providing game development tutorials – what inspired you to do this and where can people find your channel? 

My YouTube channel is called BiteSize Mechanics and I created the channel to document my own learning experience with devlogs. The reason I started making tutorials is that I felt there aren’t enough good quality tutorials that teach people beyond a beginners level.

How have you found studying during COVID-19 – have you encountered any challenges, and how have you overcome these? 

I found the experience of learning from home to be a more relaxing environment and relieved the stress of commuting. The challenges COVID-19 brought to me was not being able to work which directly affects me being able to pay tuition fees.

What are your long term career ambitions within the games industry? 

When I leave SAE I want to secure a position as a gameplay programmer for a studio that makes good quality games and excellent company values. Programming is my core focus and at this point I don’t plan on transitioning to a different industry. The ultimate long term goal is to be a part of the development of multiple AAA (triple-A) games so I may progress my career as far as possible.

Where can people keep up-to-date with your work? 

Itch.io: Cam93

Instagram: eLcammo_Dev

YouTube: BiteSize Mechanics