This Relatable Short Film Inspires You To Live Your Dream And Follow Your Passion
Called Gameboy, it follows Malaysian indie game studio Kurechii's co-founder, P'ng Yi Wei.
By Marion Fernando — 23 Nov 2022, 01:21 PM
Do you dream of someday making a name for yourself as a professional designer and entrepreneur in the creative industry?
Whether you want to be a graphic designer or a video game developer, the path to your desired career will no doubt involve time and effort to nurture the right skills and mindset in getting you there.
From sleepless nights studying to working on assignments with borrowed laptops, P'ng Yi Wei is one Malaysian who is breaking the Asian stereotype that following your passion in the arts and design world is impractical. In fact, it's far from it.
Inspired by Yi Wei's true story, you can watch his heartwarming journey in this short film, called Gameboy, below:
Hailing from Bukit Mertajam, Yi Wei's journey to get where he is today has not gone without its challenges
As a student, Yi Wei was more intrigued by how his favourite games worked than impressing others with his academic achievements — yet, it didn't stop him from scoring 10As in his SPM exams.
Image via The One Academy (YouTube)Despite earning straight As for his SPM, Yi Wei's father was initially not convinced of his son's desire of choosing a career path in creating video games.
Nevertheless, he pushed forward. Yi Wei knew it was important to achieve not only the technical skill sets but the forward design thinking relevant to his specific game designing career goal, which is why he decided to pursue a diploma in Digital Media Design.
By the time Yi Wei was a final-year diploma student, his love for creating games had not only flourished, but also inspired him to take on a life-changing idea — he formed indie game studio Kurechii with two of his classmates
Together they created their first-ever award-winning college project and platform-jumping game, Reachin' Peachin. It was an unexpected hit that garnered over 1,000,000 players within a year.
Since then, Kurechii went on to create more award-winning games such as Postknight, Tiny Guardians, King's League: Odyssey, and more. Internationally, it has amassed 13.7 million players and counting, in addition to becoming the first studio from Malaysia to be featured on Apple Arcade.
That came after a stringent selection process by Apple, which saw Kurechii earning a spot at the global lineup of 100 companies in the finalised list, sitting amongst established big game companies.
According to Yi Wei, "The proudest moments are seeing our games finally published for everyone to play, bringing out the inner child in them."
As Yi Wei can testify, it pays to stay dedicated and work on things that give you joy.
To help him realise his goals, he enrolled in The One Academy, where creative individuals get to hone their skills and take their careers to the next level.
A gallery in The One Academy, which features the works of students and professionals all year round.
Image via The One Academy (Provided to SAYS)The One Academy offers a roster of some of the most-respected professionals in the industry, including faculty staff and graduates from across the region.
It is a college that specialises in creative education courses and is ranked by distinguished industry international experts in the The Rookies as the World's No.1 Best Concept Art and Illustration School (Game, Animation, and Film Art) in 2019, as well as World's No. 1 School for Best Production Excellence (Game) Immersive Media in 2022.
Like many others before and after him, Yi Wei felt empowered as he garnered the latest skillsets during his time in college. This is thanks to the practical knowledge and training, carefully designed by experienced academicians and industry professionals.
A team of students adding the finishing touches to their digital interactive installation.
Image via The One Academy (Provided to SAYS)With a strong industry network, the college upholds the 'Masters Train Masters' philosophy, instilling creativity and building character, as well as implementing realistic yet quality industry practices, both locally and globally, in their teaching approach.
If you are serious about building solid fundamentals to kickstart a career in the creative field of your dream, you may want to invest in a good education and get trained by the veterans who share the same passion as you are!
The good news is that you can get one step closer to your dream, especially if you have a passion for interactive and game design, as The One Academy is open for its January and April 2023 intakes!
The One Academy is an international art and design institution, dedicated to professional art and design education.
Image via The One Academy (Provided to SAYS)Here are a few cool courses (relevant to interactive design and game-making) that may interest you:
- Digital Media Design
- Game Design (US-based programme)
- Computer Science and Game Design (US-based programme)
- Illustration, Movie, and Game Art
- Digital Animation with Game Development
If Yi Wei's story resonates with you, you too can embark on your game design or digital design adventure with The One Academy!
