Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2019: Sara Leone

"I learned a lot of things, met many people, made new friends and, most importantly, gained more confidence in myself and in what I do." - Sara Leone

The Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2019 gets underway on May 10th. We're taking a look at some of what'll be on show...

Today we're speaking to Computer Arts student Sara Leone about her VR game, Lost Myths: Sons of Ragnar...

(Credit to teammates Eleonora Dragoni, Aurelie Moiroud, Charlie Gillies, Alejandro Franco, Sara Quénel for the screenshots)

Give us the lowdown on what your project is all about

For my Honours Project I joined a team to develop an historical VR experience called Lost Myths: Sons of Ragnar. Our main objective was to create an immersive environment in which players could interact with virtual representations of historical artefacts and encourage the discovery of the Viking culture through folklore narratives. Through this project, we investigated how VR and game technologies could help in preserving and presenting cultural heritage. We would love to see Lost Myths in museums.

Why did you want to show your work at ADGS?

I have been excited about being part of the Grad Show since my second year! It is obviously what most of us have been looking forward through our journey at Abertay. Personally, I think it is a way to affirm myself as an artist and taking the first steps towards working in the game industry. It is also a great chance to meet with professionals and create a wider network.

How’s your Abertay experience been?

Great! I learned a lot of things, met many people, made new friends and, most importantly, gained more confidence in myself and in what I do. I think the environment at Abertay was really nice because it gave me the chance to do all those things. The lecturers have always been supportive and happy to help me out. If I have grown, it is also thanks to them.

You’re graduating! Congrats! What’s next?

Strangely enough, I am less worried about my future at the moment. I have a part time job at Pocket Sized Hands - a local company that focuses on VR and AR experiences run by ex Abertay students - and I really like it there. In the meantime, I also plan to grow my portfolio and apply to other companies - I think the majority of us came to Abertay dreaming about working for AAA, so I will keep pushing to make it real.