Sumo Digital Academy is delighted to welcome its second cohort of students!
The 10 students will work closely with departments and development teams across Sumo Digital studios to hone their craft, learn new skills and discover more about the game development process. The inaugural cohort graduated in 2021 with the game they developed, Zool: Redimensioned released in August by fellow Sumo Group business, Secret Mode.
Advising the students alongside Sumo Digital’s Director of Education Partnerships, Dr Jacob Habgood will be George Allan who joins as Academy Trainer. George began his career in 1989 as part of Gremlin Graphics and after 15+ years as a solo indie developer, he’s thrilled to be returning to the games industry to help others achieve their game-coding dreams.
Sumo Digital Academy launched in September 2020 and is open to recent graduates, or those with relevant skills in other areas.
Meet the Sumo Digital Academy Cohort!
Bradley Tully
Bradley has studied under the Nextgen gaming course for the last couple of years and has had the opportunity to learn about game creation as a whole, with perspectives from multiple disciplines rather than just a programmer. Following his time in the Sumo Digital Diversity Internship Trainee Programme, Bradley hopes to further his skills as part of Sumo Academy and go on to a role in programming.
Eva Kioseoglou
Following her MSc in Particle Physics – which involved a fair amount of Python and machine learning – Eva found herself drawn to software development. At first, she thought she was content working as a developer for a global investment bank, but a few game jams later, she has decided to pursue programming in a more creative environment and looks forward to the journey with Sumo Academy.
Fenner Richmond
Coming from a Mathematics background, Fenner has a passion for problem-solving and analytic thinking. This, coupled with a love for technology and video games, led him to study a Computer Science MSC before joining Sumo Academy. He’s looking forward to kickstarting his games industry career.
Harry Ogden
A graduate of Electronic Engineering with Music Technology Systems from the University of York, Harry undertook study in audio analysis, recording techniques and sound design as part of his course, as well as an introduction of the basics of software development – which is where he found his love for programming. Games have been a huge part of his life and he’s looking forward to learning more about the development process and tuning his engineering skills to the games industry.
Jessica Marshall-Newson
With a degree in Marine Biology from Plymouth University, Jessica has worked in a few technical support roles but always dreamt of a career in the games industry. During 2020, she took the opportunity to get involved in some online programming courses, and soaked up as much learning as anyone would offer – including the Sumo Digital SWiCS workshops and the Diversity Internship Programme.
Karl Swales
Former CNC Machine Programmer, Karl has dreamt of shaping stories rather than steel. Through Sumo Academy, he hopes to take his programming to the next level by learning the skills required to deliver new stories and experiences, worlds to explore and challenges to overcome.
Laura Clarke
Laura studied Physics at the University of Manchester but when the pandemic hit, she realised Physics wasn’t for her long term and decided to pursue her dream of becoming a game developer. After taking part in the SWiCS workshop and the Sumo Digital Diversity Internship Trainee Programme over the past year, she’s now joined Sumo Academy to focus her learning and to enable her to follow her love of programming.
Ntokozo Tshuma
Ntokozo graduated in September 2021 with a Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering degree and learned skills in Web Design and Arduino. He has joined Sumo Academy, following his time as part of the Diversity Internship Trainee Programme with Sumo Digitall, for an opportunity to pursue programming and discover more about the discipline as a whole.
Ruth Dickens
Ruth started out in sciences and studied Biology at Uni coupled with a year in industry with Natural England on the Norfolk Broads. From there, they made the switch to the games industry and did a two-year Level 3 course in Games Technology. They’re excited to take their next step with Sumo following their time as part of the Diversity Internship Trainee Programme and be part of Sumo Academy to continue their learning.
Toby Spiers
A TV Production Graduate, Toby spent his degree focussing on a combination of creative, technical and collaborative skills but found himself naturally learning towards VFX and Maya. He’s particularly interested in combining creativity with technical knowledge and has a long history of programming in his spare time. He’s thrilled to be joining Sumo Academy and can’t wait to start this new adventure.
Dr Jacob Habgood said: “I’m thrilled that this year’s Academy cohort have such an incredibly diverse range of experience and skills and come from a variety of backgrounds and industries. I’m delighted to be welcoming them all to Sumo Digital Academy.”
More information on the Sumo Digital Academy can be found here.
