Teaching and learning are two key elements that make a great game development team. Always seeking to learn something new means you will never be left behind. And helping to bring new, talented people into the fold of the gaming, entertainment, and tech industries through education and learning helps to encourage that mindset.

The Magic Media/Ringtail Academy have been working closely together for over a year now. The Academy has incredible support and assistance from GameDev Estonia and quickly established themselves as teachers and educators for those seeking to enter the game’s industry.

With the senior staff of Magic Media and Ringtail Studios and the careful eye of the GameDev Estonia’s founder, Andrejs Rusinvskis, we know it’s been in great hands. The academy began as very art focused and has expanded into VFX and QA, our goal is to continue to grow our offerings until we have a comprehensive educational offering to rival our own service offerings!

The Past Year for the Magic Media/Ringtail Academy

We’ve had a seriously productive twelve months! In the first major year of our operations, we’ve had a whopping one-hundred-and-ten students pass through our courses!

That number is significantly larger if you include all the students we’ve had visiting our offices and those we’ve assisted through university lectures. Many of these students passed through directly into industry jobs, having completed a rigorous courseload including “Anatomically Correct Character Modeling”, “3D Animation Basics”, and “Unreal Engine Fundamentals for 3D Artists”.

Some other highlights include:

• Our partnership with the Full Cycle Game Academy in Pärnu. They have the support of our incredible peers over at Gamecan. As an academy, they are the only one with an accreditation from Epic Games and act as an official training center! Working with the FCGA has been incredible as the students there learn directly from Unreal Engine developers, specialists, and experts. Their time spent with the combined team of the FCGA and us gives them the insights, knowledge, and tool proficiency to enter the gaming industry by simulating real-life game development experience.
• We opened our doors for any university students seeking practice or portfolio experience! Four students were accepted and over several months worked under the supervision of our senior artists. We were astounded with the quality of their 3D work for their final project!
• We’ve been accepting visits from student groups across Estonian universities, bringing in these groups to educate and inform them on the world of game development. Starting early is key for fostering the environment of keen learning and curiosity!
• We extended our 3D art classes and courses to a local university in Moldova! Allowing students to embark on their 3D game art journey as soon as possible.
• These 3D art courses, of course, are being run internally as well. Covering everything from the basics and fundamentals of 3D art and animation to traditional and digital painting courses.
• One of our most recent highlights is an 8-month course started in Pärnu with the FCGA! We’re very excited to see the results of this comprehensive course as working with the FCGA is always a pleasure and an honor. 

It’s been a productive and encouraging twelve months. We’ve seen so many students pass through our doors (virtually and physically!) and have welcomed in a staggering amount of those interested in a future career in gaming. We’re excited to continue offering these educational resources and to expand them as we go forward. 

If you’re interested in learning more or working with us, why not get in touch! You can also check out our careers page if you’d like to apply and join our magic team. At Magic Media we are veterans of the gaming, tech and entertainment industries, offering comprehensive services including game development, VFX, animation and full art services! Our main goal is to provide a one-stop solution for any project. If you’d like to utilize our expertize and experience in creating, game art and more, drop us a line and let’s create magic!