• We continue to be an officially licensed Sony developer with PlayStation 3 , 4 , and 5 development kits in our lab .
• AAA company Gearbox Software hired an entire capstone team of 16 students from 2017 ' s graduating class . “ The quality of the education and experience the Guildhall students have earned has motivated Gearbox Software Senior Producer , Brian Burleson , and myself to custom-build a new team around the 16 graduating Guildhall artists , programmers , designers and producers that will be joining a key Virtual Reality project at our headquarters in Frisco , Texas ,” said Randy Pitchford , President , CEO and Co-Founder of Gearbox Software .
• SMU Guildhall hosts events annually , some of which include : New Student Orientation , GameJam , Game Changers Speaker Series , Industry Insights Speaker Series , GDC Reception , Career Fair , Exhibition , Graduation Diploma Ceremony and Reception , Guildhall Academy Summer Camp , and SMU-TCU eSports Iron Skillet Competition . GameLab ' s GameJam supports our new cohort each year ; for many , this is their first experience creating a game in a team environment , and it gives them an exciting taste of the next two years of their life . SMU Guildhall faculty and staff also participate in and support local game jams and hackathons each year , which have included : Ludum Dare , Chillennium , and the AT & T Business Hackathon . SMU Guildhall students have helmed Extra Life , a game jam in support of Children ’ s Health , and raised nearly $ 30,000 dollars in donations across several years to aid children in the Dallas area . Capitalizing on our network of faculty , industry partners , and resources , SMU Guildhall co-produced our own eSports convention titled OP Live Dallas in 2018 , which included keynotes from industry thought-leaders , a 16-team collegiate Overwatch Tournament , a Pro-Am Fortnite Tournament starting with 98 attendee duo pairs , a showcase of eight Team Game Projects developed at SMU Guildhall , broadcasting sessions with professional streamers ( who collectively boasted half a million followers ), a digital art contest , and exhibitors from across the country . SMU Guildhall also supports the SMU undergraduate esports club and previously hosted the Game :: Business :: Law conference , the Intel Buzz Workshop , and the first-ever Boy Scout Game Design Merit Badge workshop .
• We work annually alongside game developer Certain Affinity to present the annual Nels Nelson Memorial Scholarship , continuing a legacy of recognizing excellence , generosity , and leadership in future game developers .
• SMU Guildhall faculty annually serve on committees and advisory boards at SMU and beyond , some of which have included : Faculty Senate , Academic Program Review Committee , University Assessment and Accreditation Committee , Institutional Review Board , Academic Technology Committee , Faculty Focus Groups , Perkins Convocation Advisory Board , IDGA Advisory Board , DISD Collegiate Academy for Gaming and Simulation Steering Committee , and KU Gear Up Diploma + program .
• SMU Guildhall follows SMU ’ s commitment to being a good neighbor by partnering with various public and private schools in Dallas and the surrounding cities and by supporting outreach programs like Upward Bound ! that provides
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