The past generations have seen constant changes within the gaming world. For children now, who are used to high definition graphics and 3D animation, it’s hard to believe that the gaming world started out with putting a quarter into an arcade machine. Pong used to be state of the art gaming with its simplistic back and forth game play that had 2D pixelated animation. It was a game that players could relate to both ping pong and tennis during game play and it was a very easy concept to grasp and succeed at.

Now the animation and actual game play in the gaming world has become very complex. World of Warcraft, a RPG (role playing game), revolutionized the standards for animation in games as well as the difficulty of play. This game was one of the first that used an online system of play and had top of the line graphics never before seen in the gaming world. With the push from World of Warcraft, more games came into the world as online based and used highdefinition 3D animation. Many of these games include The Sims 3, Star Craft 2 and Cid Myers later Civilization games. Gaming has progressed so much that players go to international gaming competitions for specific games, such as Star Craft 2, and compete for 1^st place to receive $50,000 in prize money.

The gaming industry is continuously getting larger and the need for animators in this industry is at an all-time high. In Canada especially the gaming world is booming. Canada has come out with some of the most popular games of 2012 including, Mass Effects 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Sleeping Dogs. A major Canadian company producing games is Ubisoft Montreal, which creates the Assassin’s Creed franchise and the Far Cry series. With this need for more animation experts the industry is calling for trained professionals to take on the daunting task, and where better to be trained than at an animation school.

College for Arts and Technology offers different programs in animation. There are campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fredericton, New Brunswick and Kelowna, British Columbia. Students can take either 2D Animation & Digital Art or 3D Animation for Game, Film & Visual Effects. This will give students the training needed to pursue a career in and succeed in the gaming industry. With the gaming boom in Canada, now is the best time to take that next step into the future.