BYU Named No. No. 5 School For Game Design In The World

This was originally a capstone project for Brigham Young University’s animation students. An international board recognized it as one the best games of the year. The Church school has been ranked in the top five for game design and production.

The interactive computer game “The Silent Guard: Liminus” — directed and produced by BYU students Emily Ellis and Gabe Reed — received a “Highly Commended” award from the 2022 Rookie Awards, which utilizes a panel of more than 150 industry experts to judge and rank based on criteria such as creativity, technical skills, story, production quality and originality.

Ellis and Reed, along with about 50 other students, spent thousands of hours working on the game. They did everything from concept art to 3D modeling and computer programming to music.

Ellis stated that BYU students often started their meetings by praying and feel guidance and inspiration while they work together. “There’s a lot of heart and soul that went into the game, and I hope that people can see that,” Ellis said.

Users play the Shepherd, an eternal being that rescues and protects the sheep from the Inbetween. The game requires players to be able to think strategically and solve puzzles to guide the sheep into safe areas and protect them from vicious wolves and other dangers.

Many moving parts were required to manage the production process. “The concept art had to be done before the models and the models had to be done before the animation. Scheduling everything and keeping us on track was my responsibility,” said Reed, who worked as the producer.

BYU was also named No.1 by the Rookie Awards after it was recognized. BYU was named the No. 5 school for game design in the world, joining institutions like New3dge in France or the University of Hertfordshire.

“It’s really cool to see BYU up there with these very specialized schools that are focused on animation and game design,” said Reed. “Knowing that we can compete with them and hold our own is cool.”

The Rookies co-founder Andrew McDonald said on its website, “We believe that schools that replicate a production studio experience provide a great advantage to students because it encourages team work, a strong understanding of pipelines, scheduling experience, resource management and problem solving.”

Ellis and Reed expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to have a real-world experience at BYU in a studio-like environment.

“The real value comes because of the great professors who have worked in the industry and who give us the space to develop our skills and give us the confidence that we can solve problems,” said Ellis. “Allowing us to launch and lead huge projects like this is humbling. We learned so much on the job.”