In Osaka, Japan, four Champlain College Game Studio students used extended reality to bring an underwater cathedral to life. The kicker? This underwater cathedral wasn’t part of a game: it was a spatial design experience. This cross-industry collaboration showcases the various ways our game students translate their skills beyond the game industry, discovering innovative ways to create new worlds and new spaces.
Introducing the Hello xLAB Student Internship Team
Thanks to the Freeman Foundation grant, which sent 25 students to intern abroad this summer in five Asian cities, students Wyatt Doughty ‘28, Ella Gilbert ‘27, Cassidy Samuels ‘28, and Jason Braccia ‘27 landed in Osaka in early summer for a unique career-focused experience.
Their internship site, Hello xLAB, is an XR (Extended Reality) company specializing in creating digital spatial experiences for clients. This was the company’s first time bringing game students into the fold, and it paid off. The team of Champlain students immediately hit the ground running and began concepting their space.
“Right out the gate, the Champlain students’ enthusiasm and professionalism were amazing to see. Guided by a Production Management intern and leveraging our project roadmap, they operated like an AAA production team,” says Dwayne Grech, their supervisor and CEO of Hello xLAB.
Dive Into The Underwater Cathedral
The team was tasked with brainstorming an interactive environment in Unreal Engine within the 8-week internship timeframe. During several design idea meetings, each team member presented their ideas for a possible environmental setting. After voting, they narrowed down to one environment: the underwater cathedral.
Gilbert, a Game Art major, worked on the modeling of the cathedral, while Game Sound Design major Braccia focused on creating an immersive soundscape.
“As soon as someone on the team pitched the idea [of a cathedral]… I was really excited…I got to add all of those fancy bevels and details,” Gilbert shared.
Gilbert’s role wasn’t limited to art; she was also exposed to Unreal Engine Blueprints, which are typically created by a game programmer or game designer. Without either of those roles on the team, they had to learn to create the interactions the product needed. By the end of the internship, Gilbert created several blueprints that made the environment interactive and immersive.
Doughty, a Game Production Management major and member of the operations team (DevOp), led the group and ensured everything was organized. He gained extensive hands-on experience across various aspects of the project, including picking up programming knowledge and learning Blender.
“While I’m not the artist, and I’m not the sound designer, I work closely with those roles,” Doughty explained. “My job is to make sure there is a communication pipeline between developers, upper management, and other teams. If I can’t speak their language, I won’t be able to do my job as well.”
Doughty has since picked up a minor in Game Programming so he can get hands-on experience across every facet of the game industry.
At the end of the internship abroad, the team showcased their extended reality to coworkers at Hello xLAB. The team watched their usual office space fully transform thanks to the display setup. Imagine: you walk into the space, and with a press of a button, you’re surrounded by the sound of underwater waves and whales singing as they fly by. Before you stands a sunken underwater cathedral, complete with such intricate textures that you can almost feel its rough-concrete bevels.
Champlain students, featured beyond.
Hello xLAB wrote a case study covering the Champlain student team, following their methodologies, experience, and results.
Read more!From Classroom To Extended Reality
While completing the extended reality project, it became apparent to the students and their employer that game industry skills are not just for developing games but are transferable to the XR industry and beyond.
Gilbert immediately realized that she could use the exact same skills she gained in her classes to create the immersive environment, just in a new medium. Her advice to other young professionals? “Don’t be afraid to work outside of what you think your industry is.”
At Champlain, students get experience in their major starting in their first semester. This early exposure comes in handy when transferring these skills to an internship in their second or third years at Champlain. “When we got there, it was a flip of the switch, and we knew exactly what we were doing,” Doughty explained.
“I took away confidence from this experience,” Doughty added. He recognized that doubt can hinder many people, but when you doubt yourself, “you’re downplaying yourself.”
The team’s confidence didn’t go unseen by their supervisor. “You could think they all had 5+ years of experience based on how professional and confident they were, but then you remember, they’re just students,” said Grech. “That’s a huge nod to Champlain College’s educational standards. Each of the students will have a bright future in the gaming or XR industry.”
Photos from Osaka
When it comes to interning abroad, the lessons learned aren’t just in the workplace. Students also explore the surrounding cities, try new foods, learn to live independently, and experience a new culture. Check out some photos of the Hello xLAB interns exploring Osaka.
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Their internship site, Hello xLAB, is an XR (Extended Reality) company specializing in creating digital spatial experiences for clients. This was the company’s first time bringing game students into the fold, and it paid off. The team of Champlain students immediately hit the ground running and began concepting their space.
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