7.5 Billion Dollars!

On September 21^st, 2020 Microsoft bought Bethesda Software for 7.5 billion dollars. Bethesda Software is the parent company of ZeniMax Media which is the creator of such gaming hits as Elder Scrolls, Quake, Doom and Fall Out. What this tells us (besides that Bill Gates is mega rich) is that it is a great time to be a game programmer and a great time to check out NHTI’s Animation and Graphic Game Programming Degree.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the job landscape and you will want to graduate into a career that has anticipated growth and a potentially high salary. As the buyout of Bethesda by Microsoft shows, the game development field is still hot. With an expected growth rate of 21% through 2029 and salary range from $62,000 at entry level to $160,000 at the advanced level, the gaming industry can offer you a solid career path through troubling times.

NHTI’s degree program has the goal of supplying its student with the knowledge and skill set to be able to analyze and solve complex problems posed by game development. At the end of the program you will have the ability to program in multiple programming languages, debug sophisticated software applications, apply math and physics to development and technical issues as well as prepare a personal portfolio presentation for prospective employers or advanced education opportunities.

The NH Dual Admission Program allows you to start at NHTI, earn your two-year associate’s degree and then transfer to a four-year USNH college to finish out with a bachelor's degree. If you are not ready to commit to a degree program and just want to test the waters, NHTI also offers a Game Development Programming Certificate. NHTI has what it takes to start you on your career as the next great game developer.  Listed below are a just a few of the books the library has on game programming.

Building an RPG with Unity 5.x by Vahe Karamian
Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics by Eric Lengyel
Sam's Teach Yourself Unreal Engine 4 Game Development in 24 Hours by Aram Cookson
Computer Game Development and Animation: A Practical Career Guide by Tracy Brown Hamilton
Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap by Jennifer Brandes Hepler

New DVD Review by Annie Gagne

 On the Basis of Sex Directed by: Mimi Leder

 Let me preface this by saying my opinion is completely biased since I’m a legal nerd, but this movie was amazing. On the Basis of Sex tells the true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her law school career at Harvard and Columbia, her struggles for equal rights and equal employment opportunities, and the early cases of an  immeasurable career. Justice Ginsburg, or RBG as she was affectionally called, was a strong advocate for equal rights, especially when it pertained to the equal rights of both sexes. This movie exams her struggles and triumphs during a time when women still only made up a fraction of the legal profession. Years later, RBG would be known for her response to the question, “when will there be enough women on the Supreme Court” with the answer, “when there are nine.” RBG was a legal advocate not quickly forgotten and this movie portrays only a brief period in a life riddled with the fight for equality and justice.

 

 Little Women Directed by: Greta Gerwig

 

I will be the first to admit that I did not see the original version of this movie, nor the first couple remakes, but this version I absolutely loved! The story is told from the point of view of Jo, one of the four March sisters, who reflects on their lives and their determination to live life according to their own rules. If you have siblings, you can certainly resonate with any number of the characters from independent Jo, to Amy who always felt she lived in Jo’s shadow, Meg, the eldest, who looked after the girls while their mother was away, and Beth, the quiet but musically inclined sister. Little Women does a great job portraying how different sibling and women can be, even when growing up in the same household, and that we can aspire to be anyone we want to be.

 

 Knives Out Directed by: Rian Johnson

 

IMMEDIATELY upon finishing this movie, it became one of my favorites. In fact, I’ve already seen it about a dozen times! In what, in my opinion, is Chris Evan’s first major movie post-Marvel Cinematic Universe, he absolutely nails his character of Ransom, a spoiled jerk of a human in a family full of selfish and narcissistic people. The premise of this film feels a little like Clue: you’ve got the rich patriarch of the family, a self-made man due to his success as a novelist, who has decided to financially cut off the members of his family; a homicide; and a very big who done it? The cherry on top of the stage is Daniel Craig who plays a private investigator with detective skills like you wouldn’t believe. It’s both extremely comical and frustrating at the same time, but so much fun!

 

 Joker Directed by: Todd Phillips

 

100% worth the watch if you haven’t already! To me, this is the first time anyone has really approached the portrayal of the Joker from the mentally disturbed human side of it, rather than the character of the Joker. This movie gives you a front row seat into the mental challenges Arthur Fleck faces, the emotional abuse that riddles his daily life, as well as how he copes with the various changes in society, the mental health system and his relationships. This is a vastly different human being than that of Jared Leto’s Joker or even Jack Nicholson’s. While all are visibly mentally unstable, you can almost empathize with Joaquin Pheonix’s version of the Joker and understand how he developed into one of DC’s most notorious villains.

 

 Battle of the Sexes Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

 

Battle of the Sexes tells the true story of the infamous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, and boy is it a ride! Billie Jean was still in her 20’s and at the top of her career, while Bobby Riggs had become more of a professional gambler than a former professional tennis player. Bobby's gambling is what led to the first major competition between himself and Margaret Court, the #1 women's seed at the time, whom Bobby easily defeated.  The movie follows Billie Jean personal struggles with her sexuality, her fight for women's equality in tennis, and her eventual matchup and defeat of Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in 1973. This movie was an absolute joy to watch, especially having seen Steve Carrell and Emma Stone play opposite each other on the screen before. Both humorous and heartbreaking, Battle of the Sexes should definitely be on anyone's watch list!