The university's gaming research stands out and gets attention from western France. When Etienne, a student of engineering, was looking for a traineeship, his choice fell on the University of Skövde and the research in the field of Serious Games.
In Nantes in western France, Etienne was looking for a traineeship that would be suited for his purposes. Having the whole world as a playing field, his internet searches led to the University of Skövde.
– I am interested in research in Serious Games, which quickly led me to the University of Skövde. When I looked deeper into the findings by individual researchers, my interest grew.
This made Etienne reach out to Per Backlund, Professor of Information Technology at the University of Skövde.
– We don't have any experience in offering traineeships like this one. However, we felt that the idea was well worth exploring – and Etienne's background proved to be beneficial in our current research, he says.
Programming VR-games
Specific interest in the research of PhD candidate Torbjörn Svenssons on how VR and AR technology can be used for spreading local news.
– This summer, I have been programming a VR-game, where the user will stroll around in a city virtually and be able to find, read, and comment on news.
During his three final summer months in Sweden and Skövde, Etienne had time to discover the area.
– It is really beautiful! And different from what I am used to. Little things, like the fact that people use biking lanes. Where I come from people always use the roads. Everyday surprises make life more exciting.
A sign of attraction abroad
Etienne has returned to Nantes and everyday life.
– I am completing my final year of my engineering studies here in Nantes (at Polytech Nantes, École d`ingénieurs de l´université de Nantes).
Per Backlund says that the traineeship has led to new interest.
– We definitely take pride in the fact that we are attracting foreign students. And as far as we are concerned, it was very useful for us to have Etienne with us. This is definitely something we would consider doing again – preferably a couple of trainees at the same time, Backlund concludes.