What previous students had to say...

Alumni of the Master's degree in Video Games and Digital Interactive Media talk about their time on the course, its fortes, their internships and their professional projects.

Alumni testimonies

• Balthazar Auger

My project has always been to work in the video game industry. I had already heard about Enjmin becuase of the DESS diploma, but I had to wait until I finished my bachelor's degree before I could finally apply. I was part of the 2006-2008 cohort, or the P3 as we used to call it!

One of the determining factors in my choice was that Enjmin is a public establishment. This reassured me that my future degree would be easily recognised internationally and would also allow me to continue my studies and carry out research, something that really interested me (and still does...). In addition, my family could not afford private establishment fees and it was important for me to continue to benefit from the Crous scholarships.

At Enjmin, I was able to discover the enormous expressive scope that video games can cover, all while exploring the analytical and formal possibilities that can be applied to them. The contact we had with recognised industry professionals allowed me to anchor the theory to the reality of video game development.

I think that one of the strengths of the Enjmin is the creative independence it guarantees to students, while at the same time providing them with excellent support, both material and pedagogical, to help them make their concepts become a reality. Another strong point in my opinion is that each specialisation is oriented towards the others. This means that the school not only train students in their profession, but it also teaches them to work with the other trades that are part of the video game development process, which is just as important.

The years I spent at Enjmin were an excellent opportunity for me to form lasting relationships with my classmates. We all learnt together what it means to be a Game Designer. It was also a time when I was able to discover analytical or creative abilities in myself that I didn’t know I had.
In line with my specialisation, I joined Ubisoft France as a Game Designer. I stayed there for two years after my internship, before turning my attention to other projects. Enjmin has allowed me to remain open to the problems of other professions and this allows me to offer freelance Producer, Designer and Developer services to clients.

• Vincent Percevault

I found out about this programme on the internet after searching for specialised courses. I joined the Cnam-Enjmin and I completed the DESS, which marked the beginning of the school and was the precursor to the master's degree, in the Sound Design specialisation in 2002-2003.

I am passionate about music and sound since my early childhood. Growing up in a family of musicians meant that I had the chance to participate in the beginnings of Computer-Assisted Music, such as composing on trackers (for the connoisseurs), and I started recording and creating soundtracks from very early on. The Cnam-Enjmin came to make my practice professional.

At the time, it was the only programme that allowed me to combine my passions for sound, computers and video games - truly ideal for me!

Cnam-Enjmin has many strengths. First of all, the quality of the professionals, who mostly come from the professional world. The team work and different specialisations are also big strong points, which allow you to confront the problems encountered in working life.

I have incredible memories of my time at this school, and the group spirit and solidarity of our class are still intact. We were a bunch of enthusiasts who found their way with an extremely positive energy: creative, carefree and fertile all at the same time!

My training gave me an exhaustive vision of game production, informative team work experiences and it was a great springboard!

Cnam-Enjmin propelled me into active life during my internship at Cyanide, which marked the beginning of my professional career in sound for video games. After participating in the growth of Cyanide for 5 years, I chose to create my own company, which specialised in sound production, in order to open new doors and develop new cross-media activities. Game Audio Factory has now been i existence for 5 years and almost all the employees are Cnam-Enjmin graduates!

Today, I am regularly involved in the pedagogical content of the sound speciality because I believe in this course which is vital and unique of its kind in France!

• Marie Bouchaud

I came to know Cnam-Enjmin in 2005 when, after studying at the IUT (Institut universitaire de technologie) and then at an IUP (Institut universitaire professionnalisé) in Multimedia Design and Production, I wanted to complete my training in a more specific specialisation. I was then looking for a master's degree in either Project Management or User-centred Design.

I was part of the ergonomics specialisation in 2005-2007 (known as the Eric Viennot cohort).
I had a fairly broad training base in the multimedia field: Project Management, 2D and 3D Graphics, Programming... All of this, as well as Cnam-Enjmin's help to consolidate and specialise these skills, gave me a really solid background to enter the world of video games.

I wanted to attend Cnam-Enjmin because video games have been a passion of mine for a long time, just like it has been for many other students who choose the school. At the time, we were in the midst of a refom of the French higher educational system. I knew that a master's degree would be a real asset on my CV and would be recognised not only in France but also in Europe. Combining a passion and a recognised degree - suffice to say, I didn't hesitate to apply.

Cnam-Enjmin, for its master's degree, recruits students with a bachelor's degree (Bac +3) or equivalent, which makes it possible to work with people who already have a solid background. In my cohort, for example, some programmers were already engineers. The school really teaches how to work in the world of video games through real-life team project experiences, given that the students arrive at the school with a basic knowledge of their profession. In the end, this makes us ready to join a development studio or a software publisher.

The course has given me knowledge of how the workings of the particular world of video games. The development processes are quite similar to those used for the web, but the constraints are completely different. Moreover, the goal of a video game is to bring pleasure to the player; it's an element, especially in my field, which is very important to take into account and is not always obvious. I was also looking to specialise in user-centred design and Cnam-Enjmin was able to give me the necessary background to turn it into my profession.

What I remember most about these two years is that Cnam-Enjmin allows you to take charge of your life. We were able to develop a lot of personal projects and make mistakes,  but also to shine of course. In both cases, it allows you to be confronted with what you can expect in the professional world but with the necessary support.

In the second year of the master's programme, Ubisoft came directly to look for ergonomists for internships. The department where I now work had just opened at the time and the internship became a permanent position. So I'm still at Ubisoft as an editorial ergonomist on consumer games, such as dance and fitness titles or children's games, for example. I'm also regularly called upon internally to help out on other games from time to time. At the same time, since 2010, I have been working in video game or multimedia schools either to simply present my job or to raise awareness of user-centered design by providing tools and methodologies. This year, I had the opportunity to come back to Cnam-Enjmin as a speaker.