Diversity in Games Design & Development - Aisosa Ugiagbe

The Games Design & Development MA at The National Film & Television School gives students complete creative freedom to design and build their own game concepts across multiple formats and genres throughout their two years of study.

As we celebrate Black History Month 2022, we caught up with Aisosa Ugiagbe, who graduated in early 2022 with his graduation game Octo-Ninja Hachimaru. The game enables users to unleash their inner octopus during a 3D fast paced action-adventure as teen Ninja Hachimaru and the Octopus god Takuro use their powers to save a tycoon's daughter.

Aisosa talks about how he got into games, the importance of diversity in the industry and gives us an insight into the genesis of his anime inspired characters. 

How did you get into Games Design and why did you choose NFTS as your pathway?

I’ve always been interested in Games from a very young age but I had resigned myself to working towards a more traditional career path. It then got to a point in my life where I realised that if I didn’t go for it, I’d be forever unhappy. So, to that end, I decided to embark on a career in the games industry.

I chose NFTS because the structure of the Games Design and Development course seemed to benefit my learning style – which is to learn by doing! Making a demo for the second year of the course was truly immersive and I was able to really get stuck in.

How do you feel diversity is reflected in games and the Game Design industry and how do you think this could be improved?

Diversity in games has long been a topic of discussion within the wider community, and while it has begun to improve, it’s still not great. There are still issues with representation in terms of frequency of character appearance in games and general depiction within those stories. There’s also the issue of behind the scenes, with many studios lacking in diversity. This can lead to a lack of different ideas and perspective, which hurts the whole industry in the long run.

That being said, there have been some efforts to encourage people from different backgrounds to embark on a career in Games. More can be done for sure, but it’s a start. Showing people that ‘yes, anyone can thrive in the games industry’, and following that with actual positive initiatives, actions and results, not just lip-service and minimal effort being made for bolstering reputations, is paramount in increasing diversity within the wider industry.

Did this have any impact on your decision making when designing the lead character for your grad game?

Absolutely! My grad game Octo-Ninja Hachimaru features a black main character because it’s something I so desperately wanted to see growing up. Hachimaru is a cool kid, but not just any cool kid, but a cool kid on my terms (lol). When I learnt enough to actually bring my dreams to fruition, I decided it was time to give it a shot.

One of my main focuses as I navigate the games industry is to make as many great games with as diverse casts as I can, that everybody can enjoy. If I can inspire people, especially younger people with that philosophy, then that’s great!

What advice would you give to potential new applicants from diverse backgrounds?

Listen, you only have one life to live, so go out and get what you want in this life! Easier said than done, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

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Play the Octo-Ninja Hachimaru demo now on itch.io: pyrokidsosa.itch.io/octo-ninja-hachimaru-egx-demo

Follow @OctoNinjaGame on Twitter to stay up to date with the games development and @PyrokidSosa to keep your eye on Aisosa’s upcoming projects.

Places available on our Games Design & Development MA!

The two-year MA course has a ‘games innovation’ ethos, giving you the opportunity to create complete games in a unique environment, collaborating with students from across the School – from composers and sound designers to marketing and distribution students – learning not only how to create games, but how to release them and promote them across indie games and Triple-A.

Location Beaconsfield
Duration 2 Years
Scholarships available

Find out more and apply today nfts.co.uk/games

Read more about Black History Month at the NFTS:
nfts.co.uk/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-2022-nfts