Bringing out your artistic talent in ICT

The ICT industry is commonly attributed to the role it plays in the processing of data for the day-to-day running of organisations, as well as the need of a more technical side to the industry to develop and maintain the infrastructure necessary to run such systems.

An important industry niche that has seen a rapid rate of development in recent years is the use of computer graphics as a communications tool. Computer games have undoubtedly been a driving force in the home computer market, offering more possibilities for reality games than ever.

Creative compting is today a big industry. What immediately comes to mind is the higher dependence of film-making on computer graphics for stunning sets and impossible stunts, immersing viewers in ever more ambitious storytelling.

Take the two final episodes of Star Wars, which were completed two decades later, only when a virtual universe could be created by the latest computer graphics.

Other projects are pushing boundaries even further, and while a few individuals may have the opportunity to work on multi-million dollar projects, we have been endowed with the experience of hosting a number of blockbusters, such as Gladiator, Helen of Troy, Munich and Count of Montecristo.

We are faced with market needs in the development of the advertising industry, the development of more interactive Website development techniques, the emerging virtual gaming industry, which is transforming single-user computer games into more complex and real-life interactive worlds, and the on-line gambling industry, which although rather shadowy due to negative social implications, still contributes to the economy by being one of the major employers of ICT professionals.

St Martin's Institute of IT is offering a new degree, a B.Sc. (Hons) in Creative Computing, specifically targeting talented and creative individuals in this area. The degree is researched and designed by Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Students reading for degrees at St Martin's Institute of IT benefit from the newly launched Government Scholarship for Undergraduate Students and from a 75 per cent rebate on all expenses via the myPotential scheme. Part-time students get a 60 per cent tax rebate on all expenses upon graduation.

Goldsmiths College has also launched a new M.Sc. degree in Gaming and Entertainment Computing in the UK and there are also plans to introduce this degree in Malta next year.

The undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are primarily aimed at creating experts in the design and development of new software tools. Students of St Martin's Institute are supported by DELL and can get a DELL high specifications notebook at a subsidised price.

For more information phone 2123-5451 or e-mail infodesk@ stmartins.edu.