September 3, 2014 An advertising special edition of The Daily Texan

Eats and Entertainment

I r e c e n t l y made Aus-tin my

new home last August to be-gin graduate school, and it

did not take long to discover that Austin has two addition-al loves besides Texas foot-ball—food and music. I moved here from San An-tonio and completely under-stood people’s fixation with food; I grew up the grand-daughter of a baker and the daughter of a Mexican tor-tilla factory owner. I lived in the same city for 21 years and was surrounded by the

same culture; therefore, it was an understatement to say I needed to broaden my horizons. Although I cannot find the same Mexican delicacies prepared in my mother’s kitchen, I admit I have stum-bled across a few great finds. I still do not consider myself even an intermediate expert on the Austin food scene af-ter a year of branching out to various geographical regions of the city. No matter how many places you go, your list of new restaurants to try in this town seemingly cannot shrink. One piece of advice I can

pass along to any new Austi-nite is to keep an open mind. Make sure to break away from the campus area in order to truly explore the city’s melting pot of dishes and never say no to some-thing new before giving it a chance. Austin has an abundance to offer in the food department, from American, Vegetarian, Mexican, Italian, Korean, Chinese and Ethiopian – you are bound to find something to your liking. Take advantage of the op-portunity to learn from your classmates that come from every end of the globe and

embrace their backgrounds. Host pot lucks with a group

of friends and appreciate where the other comes from while hanging out and do-ing something everyone en-joys—eating. Whether you and your friends call a dif-ferent city, state, country or continent “home,” there is always something to learn and introduce each other to. The music in Austin is as bountiful as the food offered across the city and is an-other Austin scene in which to indulge. Attend one of the many music festivals Austin has to offer or walk into a local bar for good entertain-

ment. Even if you do not pur-chase a SXSW pass, you can still attend a number of great live shows at no cost. Live entertainment is never in short supply no matter the day of the week or time of year. There is a performance for every person’s music genre preferences, so no fan is ever left out. This city radiates with talent and delicious eats to compli-ment it; it’s a matter of taking the voyage to discover them.

Gayle BustamanteSpecial Editions Editor

Wednesday, September 3, 2014Page 2 LONGHORN LIFE

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EDITOR’S NOTE STAFF

Special Editions Editor Gayle Bustamante

Associate EditorSavannah Williams

DesignersDaniel Hublein,Peter Silkowski

Cover ArtPeter Silkowski

Writers Shantanu Banerjee,Lana Baumgarter,

Emma Leford,Samantha Meyer

Photographers Taylor Harton, Chansey Liu

TSM ADVERTISING & CREATIVE SERVICES

DirectorGerald Johnson

Operations ManagerFrank Serpas

Advertising Adviser CJ Salgado

Broadcast & Events Manager

Carter Goss

Campus & National Sales Rep,

Event Coordinator Lindsey Hollingsworth

Advertising Sales RepRobert Meute

Student Manager Rohan Needel

Student Assistant Manager Danielle Archuleta

Student Account ExecutivesAndrea Avalos,

Keegan Bradley, Danielle Lotz,

Destanie Nieto, Xiaowen Zhang

Student Classifieds Clerk

Mymy Nguyen

Special Editions & Production Coordinator

Stephen Salisbury

Senior Graphic Designer Daniel Hublein

Student Graphic Designers Peter Silkowski,

Kiera Tate

Longhorn Life is an advertising special edition of The Daily Texan produced

by students in Texas Student Media’s special editions office. Reach us at

specialeditions@texasstudentmedia.com. Copyright 2011 Texas Student

Media. All articles, photographs and graphics are the property of

Texas Student Media and may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without written permission.

CONTACT TSM: We are located in the Hearst Student Media building (HSM).

For advertising, call 512-471-1865.

Big Kids Premiere Meet the UT students behind the new web series “Big Kids,” launching this fall.

Entertainment by Transit Learn how to reach the city’s favorite entertainment spots via bus and rail.

L L O N L I N E

CO N T EN TSLocal Beer pg.4Discover several of Austin finest craft beers.

Festival Volunteering pg.6Find out how you can volunteer for your favorite music fes-tivals to earn free passes.

Original Food Trucks pg.6Map out your favorite quick-eat spots throughout Austin.

Gaming Q&A pg.7Learn about the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy from the recently-named director.

LonghornLife

WHAT’S HAPPENING upcoming events

Page 3Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 LONGHORN LIFE

Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat.

9/1 9/2 9/3 9/4 9/5 9/6Peterson Brothers Band6:30 p.m. @The Continental Club

Juicy J6 p.m. @The Mohawk

Aretha Franklin8 p.m. @ACL Live

Casey Hubble7 p.m. @Moontower Saloon

Bro Safari9 p.m. @Emo’s

Drake7 p.m. @Austin360 Amphitheater

9/7 9/8 9/9 9/10 9/11 9/12 9/13Jason Mraz8 p.m. @Bass Concert Hall

The Picturebooks8 p.m. @The Mohawk

Washed Out6:30 p.m. @The Mohawk

Alien Ant Farm7 p.m. @The Nook Amphitheater

R3hab9 p.m. @Republic Live

Los Lonely Boys8 p.m. @ Gruene Hall

Kings of Leon7 p.m. @Austin360 Amphitheater

9/14 9/15 9/16 9/17 9/18 9/19 9/20Lily Allen7 p.m. @Stubb’s Waller Creek

Total Slacker9 p.m. @Red 7

Coheed & Cambria7 p.m. @Stubb’s Waller Creek

Tears for Fears7 p.m. @Austin Music Hall

Led Zeppelin 28 p.m. @Emo’s

Brantley Gilbert7 p.m. @Cedar Park Center

Conor Oberst7 p.m. @Stubb’s Waller Creek

9/21 9/22 9/23 9/24 9/25 9/26 9/27Bill Cosby3 p.m. @Bass Concert Hall

Gaby Moreno7:30 p.m. @Cactus Cafe

Merchandise9 p.m. @Red 7

Milkey Wax7 p.m. @The Parish

Better Than Ezra8 p.m. @Emo’s

Ian Anderson8 p.m. @Mary Moody Northen Theatre

Josh Abbott Band6 p.m. @Nutty Brown Cafe

9/28 9/29 9/30Michael Grimm7 p.m. @One World Theatre

Senses Fail7 p.m. @Red 7

Sonny Wolf Band9:30 p.m. @The Chuggin’ Monkey

TEXAS UNION THEATRE

FILM

SCR

EEN

ING

S

All free film screenings are shown in the Texas Union Theatre, UNB 2.228, unless otherwise specified.

09/03 Toy Story @ 9 p.m.

09/04 Oculus @ 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

09/11 Neighbors @ 6:30 p.m.

09/17 The Prestige @ 9 p.m.

09/18 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 @ 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

09/25 Godzilla @ 9 p.m.

10/01 (500) Days of Summer @ 9 p.m.

CAMPUS EVENTS

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

STUDENT ORGANIZATION EVENTS

EVEN

T CA

LEN

DA

R

09/03 Party on the Plaza 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Gregory Gym Plaza

09/04 Noche de Loteria 6-8 p.m., SAC 2.410

09/12 Country on the Patio7 p.m., The Union (UNB East Patio)

09/18 Fantastic Fest, 7 p.m., Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

09/20 Austin Pride Festival & 5k, 11 a.m., Fiesta Gardens

09/27 Old Pecan Street Festival 9:30 a.m., Sixth Street Historic District

09/04 Welcome Back to the Loft, 7-9 p.m., Bass Concert Hall

09/10 The Method Gun, 7:30 p.m., Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014Page 4 LONGHORN LIFE

GOOD EATS embrace your inner foodie

Whether you regularly indulge in craft beer or you can’t tell a pilsner from a porter, Austin is a great city for try-

ing local brews. Check out these beers from four different Austin-based breweries.

Live Oak HefeWeizenBrewed by: Live Oak Brewing CompanyStyle: HefeweizenWhere I tried it: Thunderbird Cafe & Tap RoomDescription: The Live Oak HefeWeizen is a refreshing take on this notoriously wheaty style of beer. It is hazy and yellow-orange in color, and I detect notes of banana in both the scent and taste. Considering its thick and somewhat creamy con-sistency, it’s surprisingly refreshing and easy to drink. It isn’t bitter at all and has a slightly sweet finish. Enjoy it in the Texas summer heat or with a heavy meal.Flavor reminds me of: Banana, wheat breadABV: 5.20%

(512) Pecan PorterBrewed by: (512) Brewing CompanyStyle: American PorterWhere I tried it: Hopfields on Guadalupe StreetDescription: Dark brown in color, slightly sweet and creamy in consistency, the (512) Pecan Porter is almost like the des-sert version of beer. Its slightly bitter flavor reminds me of coffee and chocolate, with hints of pecan and molasses. Like several other rich dark beers, this porter is best suited for cold winter months. It is smooth to drink, but keep its richness in mind because it will fill you up fast! Flavor reminds me of: Coffee, chocolateABV: 6.80%

The One They Call ZoeBrewed by: Hops and Grain BreweryStyle: American Pale LagerWhere I tried it: Hopfields on Guadalupe Street Description: With its pleasant, golden amber color and bub-bly, soda-like carbonation, this lager is the perfect summer

brew. It has a citrusy and slightly wheaty scent. The taste has notes of orange, grapefruit and lemon zest with a bitter and earthy finish. Crisp and hoppy, Zoe is best served ice cold by the pool in the summer sun. Try it if you think you’d like a more complex Shiner Ruby Redbird.Flavor reminds me of: Shiner Ruby Redbird, citrus zestABV: 5.20%

Black RhinoBrewed by: Adelbert’s BreweryStyle: Belgian Dark AleWhere I tried it: Thunderbird Cafe & Tap RoomDescription: This ale pours a very dark brown with a scent of coffee and raisins and a heavy, almost milky consistency. Like the (512) Pecan Porter, it’s pretty filling and lends itself to winter months. Packing a dark, roasted and powerful punch with a little bitterness at the finish, Adelbert’s Black Rhino certainly lives up to its name. Try it if you like strong flavors like black coffee and licorice.Flavor reminds me of: Black coffee, raisins, licoriceABV: 5.60%

Austin Beer: Another way to keep it localby Emma LedfordStaff Writer

Name: 3127/Thundercloud Subs - Displa; Width: 60p0; Depth: 5 in; Color: Process color, 3127/Thundercloud Subs - Displa; Ad Number: 3127

EAT LIKE A LOCALEAT LIKE A LOCAL

30 locations in Central Texas

Eight great bars in Austin to find craft beer Banger’sSausageHouse&BeerGarden CraftPride EasyTiger Hopfields ThunderbirdCafe&TapRoom TheBrew&Brew TheBrewExchange DraughtHousePub&Brewery

Name: 3057/UTOPIAfest; Width: 60p0; Depth: 5 in; Color: Process color, 3057/UTOPIAfest; Ad Number: 3057

Name: 3056/UTOPIAfest; Width: 60p0; Depth: 5 in; Color: Process color, 3056/UTOPIAfest; Ad Number: 3056Utopiafest offers perfect Hill Country getawayADVERTISEMENT

Situated on a natu-ral amphitheater in

Utopia, TX, UTOPiA-fest offers far more than live music.

Four Sisters Ranch, situated on 1,000 acres between Garner State Park and Lost Maples in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, will be home to multiple stages and gorgeous campgrounds where you can partake in yoga classes, im-promptu jam sessions, and silent disco dance

parties. Attendees have

described the festival as “sensational,” “top notch,” and “magical.” One reveler even said the experience was “a spiritual enlighten-ment” unlike any she’d felt before.

Aaron Brown, the director of the festi-val, assures potential guests that UTOPiA-fest is the ideal week-end getaway, and isn’t designed just for people who love music. “The music is just the icing on the

cake,” he says, “music festivals are not for ev-eryone; Utopiafest is. We’ve tried to design the festival from the audience perspective.”

UTOPiAfest aspires to create an experience that can live up to its name, so steps have been taken to remove typical festival hassles.

Only 2,000 tickets are sold, so you won’t need to worry about the hectic crowds that often diminish the fes-tival experience. You

and yours can com-fortably find the space and time you need to explore the grounds.

There is also no mu-sical overlap, so you

won’t have to make any difficult decisions on which bands to watch. And the es-sentials are all easily accessible: festivalgo-ers have access to free water bottle refilling stations, and on-site showers are available for a small fee.

Food trucks will showcase a variety of delicious eats, includ-ing meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. Coffee and ice will also be available for purchase.

Staying in Utopia is

easy: you can camp on the festival grounds in tents and RVs, or rent a room at one of the many nearby inns. If you want to camp but don’t have the supplies, you can rent a fully stocked camp-site from the festival, and you will arrive to a tent, a cooler, and chairs all set up for you. You can even set up a carpool online if transportation is a challenge.

Jump in, let go, and prepare yourself for an amazing weekend.

“Music festivals are not for everyone; Utopiafest is. We’ve tried to design the festival from the audience perspective.”

-Aaron Brown, Festival Director

E S C A P E T O U T O P I A

I N U T O P I A , T E X A S

BYO B • FA M I LY F R I E N D LY • CA P P E D AT 2,0 0 0 • D I S C G O L F • N O M U S I C OV E R L A P • YO GA • S I L E N T D I S C O

F A T H E R J O H N M I S T Y C o l d W a r K i d SW a r p a i n t K I S H I B A S H I d a n d e a c o n G Z A o f w u - t a n g c l a n w / B r o w n o u t

K e l l e r W i l l i a m S b i l l y j o e s h a v e rG r a t e f u l G r a s s ( F e a t . J e f f A u s t i n ,

S a m G r i s m a n , K e l l e r W i l l i a m s )A a r o n B e h r e n s & T h e M i d n i g h t S t r o l L

B i l L y J o e S h a v e R W I L D C H I L DW h e e l e r B r o t h e r S H o l i d a y M o u n t a i N

H I K E S S o u r B r i d g e s B e n j i H u g h e SC i l a n t r o B o o m b o X & M A N Y M O R E !

F A T H E R J O H N M I S T Y C o l d W a r K i d SW a r p a i n t K I S H I B A S H I d a n d e a c o n G Z A o f w u - t a n g c l a n w / B r o w n o u t

K e l l e r W i l l i a m S b i l l y j o e s h a v e rG r a t e f u l G r a s s ( F e a t . J e f f A u s t i n ,

S a m G r i s m a n , K e l l e r W i l l i a m s )A a r o n B e h r e n s & T h e M i d n i g h t S t r o l L

B i l L y J o e S h a v e R W I L D C H I L DW h e e l e r B r o t h e r S H o l i d a y M o u n t a i N

H I K E S S o u r B r i d g e s B e n j i H u g h e SC i l a n t r o B o o m b o X & M A N Y M O R E !t i c k e t p r i c e i n c r e as es m o n day, s e p 1

U T O P I A F EST.C O MF O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N

B U Y-5 - g e t-1 - f r e eWHAT TO DO IN AUSTIN MUSIC 98.9

U T O P I A F E S T I S A C O - P R O D U C T I O N B E T W E E N T R A V I S S U T H E R L A N D &

By Savannah WilliamsSpecial Editions

ADVERTISEMENT

Page 5Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 LONGHORN LIFE

Austin has a gift for keeping it weird, especially when it

comes to food. The latest trend, as we all know, is food trucks. But what is Austin’s forte within this trend? Weird food trucks. Austin is at it again, provid-ing an eclectic and adventur-ous array of menus to satisfy any taste bud. Here’s a list of some of Austin’s strangest trucks, but take it from us, this list is only the beginning of what Austin has to offer. The Peached TortillaPeached Tortilla has been called a flavor combina-tion of Asian and Mexican/Southern. For example, they serve Chinese BBQ tacos and both Bahn Mi and BBQ Bris-ket sliders. However, the real kicker are their sauces: there are multiple, each tasty in its own way. Be sure to try at least one of them. Chi’LantroLike Peached, Chi’Lantro is another food truck featuring Korean-Mexican fusion. Yelp reviewers rave about their kimchi fries. And the best part when it comes to Long-horns? They frequent the UT Austin area for dinner time, so check out their website the next time you’re think-ing about a Korean burger or kimchi quesadillas. BananarchyWhile it may seem odd, fro-zen bananas on a stick are actually quite the treat, and that’s exactly what Banan-archy has to offer. After you choose your size (full banana

or half) you choose how to dress it with a dip and top-pings. Really, it’s the time to get creative; there’s some-thing for everyone. There are even vegan-friendly options, with offerings like peanut butter, vegan chocolate and Oreo. The Vegan YachtIt is not often that a Frito pie gets turned into a burrito, and then that burrito goes on to receive an award for being a great burrito. On top of all that, how many award-winning Frito-pie burritos are also vegan? Probably just one. Check out The Vegan Yacht at Spider House, an-other campus-convenient spot, for this burrito and oth-er vegan snacks. Gourdough’sIf you have never looked at

Gourdough’s menu, it might be hard to understand how some donuts could make it onto the list, but Gour-dough’s is a master of the unique and adventurous. There’s the PB&J for the kid in all of us, a bacon donut with maple syrup to cater to the latest trend, plenty of fruit and chocolate options, and of course, donut holes. You might consider sharing with someone since the ad-vertising doesn’t lie -- these really are “Big.Fat.Donuts.” Holy CacaoOne word: chocolate. What started as a simple hot choc-olate trailer bloomed into cake balls, floats,” drinking chocolate” and more choco-late goodies and beverages. Its menu is perfect for des-sert at any time of the year (they even have frozen hot

chocolate) or simply for a cup of coffee or a latte. You can find them in the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery with some other Austin fa-vorites.

OMG! CheesecakerySteering away from the trends of cake ball pop-sicles and cupcakes, OMG! Cheesecakery founder Dan chose to focus on cheese-cake. OMG! Cheesecakery is the place to get a “personal sized and portable cheese-cake.” He makes cheesechake in all different flavors, ranging from “avocado” to “nutella” to “blueberry lavender,” but their website advertises they can make just about any-thing! It might just depend on how adventurous you’re willing to be.

Music festival passes might cost more than stu-dents can afford, but high costs should not eliminate your chances to attend fes-tivals.

Longhorn Life has some ideas that can get you into festivals for little to no cost, as long as you are willing to volunteer.

ACL As a volunteer, you will work with a team during the three days of the Austin City Limits music festival. Your shifts are either during the day or in the evening, and you will receive a festival pass for the day on which you work. All volunteers are required to complete an online orien-tation before they are certi-fied to volunteer. To sign up, visit www.acl-festival.com/2014-volunteer and follow the step-by-step instructions. There is a $10 application-processing fee, but this is far less than a $90 single-day pass or $225 three-day pass. “I volunteered for ACL last year and I’m doing it again this year, “ said advertising senior Natalia Naranjo. “It’s a great opportunity to meet and work with some cool people and get to see the fes-

tival for practically nothing. There are a bunch of differ-ent jobs available, so make sure to do some research be-fore you choose which one to sign up for.”

SXSW South by Southwest is one of the most well known festi-vals held in Austin and coin-cides with spring break. Music badges have a walk-up rate of $895, whereas vol-unteers earn a free badge, depending on their type of volunteerism. The five shifts you’ll be re-quired to work total 60-79 volunteer hours. Former volunteers have enjoyed acts such as Coldplay, Broken Bells, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons and 50 Cent, just to name a few. You can find the volunteer database online in early No-vember at volunteer.sxsw.com/register. If you cannot secure a vol-unteering position with your favorite festival, browse uni-versity pages shortly before the festival begins. You might find someone who decides to go to OU weekend last minute or someone who just needs to get rid of his or her pass. From the staff at Longhorn Life, good hunting.

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014Page 6 LONGHORN LIFE

FEATUREVolunteer at music festivals, get in free

Photo by Sam Ortega , Daily Texan Staff Photographer

ACL attracts nearly 75,000 people each day, and the number of attendees continues to grow, along with ticket prices.

Food Truck TreasuresLana BaumgartnerStaff Writer

Shantanu BanerjeeStaff Writer Keep Austin weird at these unique food trucks

Co-op Food CourtDelicious Thai, Elixir Coffee, Gourdough’s, The Gypsy Kit,

Kebab Time, Mister FruitCup, Taqeria Jefe’s

Rancho Rio EateryBlenders & Bowls, Cow Tipping Creamery, Fat Tony’s Brooklyn

House of Munch, Firefly Pies, Ham It Up TX, The Mighty Cone,

Short Bus Subs, Thai of the Town, Velveteen Coffee House,

Wonder Waffle, Wurst Tex

The Vegan Yacht,Greek Original Gyros,

Lard Have Mercy,Fresh Baked,

Frozen Rickshaw

29th & Guad Area

Local Truck Fare

Map by Peter Silkowski

Q&A: MEET THE DIRECTOR OF THE DENIUS-SAMS GAMING ACADEMY

Page 7Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 OUR CAMPUS

OURCampus Celebrating the faculty and staff at the University of Texas at Austin

Do you love video games? Have you ever wanted to create your own?

We caught up with Warren Spector, the director of the Denius Sams Gaming Acad-emy, to find out more about this exciting new program, offered right here at the Uni-versity. Longhorn Life: What is the Denius-Sams Gaming Acad-emy? What makes it special? Warren Spector: DSGA is a new, innovative game de-velopment program at the University of Texas at Austin. Unlike other game develop-ment programs out there (and there are 384 of them in the U.S. alone), we’re not fo-cusing on the nuts and bolts of game making. We only admit 20 people who already know how to make games. We want to teach our 20 stellar game creators the ins-and-outs of game development leader-ship in an intensive, nine-month course of study. The focus on leadership alone sets us apart, but there are two additional things that set us apart. First, our faculty is entirely made up of current indus-try professionals. You’d be amazed how many programs don’t require industry expe-rience. Having said that, the unique feature I expect our students appreciate the most is no tuition payment and, in fact, we pay them a $10,000 stipend to cover expenses while they’re in the program! LL: What is the program curriculum? Why did you choose this curriculum model? WS: The curriculum is pretty simple: 90 minutes of

class time, four days a week, followed by four hours of lab time, Monday through Thursday, and a solid eight hours in the lab on Friday. We want to give people a conceptual grounding in leadership and manage-ment through the class and then give them a lab space to put all those concepts into practice. The lab is really the heart of the program—we want it to feel like a real job but with one critical differ-ence—the power to fail! Failures are firing offenses in the game-development

world, whereas failures are learning opportunities in the academic world. Obviously, we hope our stu-dents internalize the lessons learned in class and execute against them exceptionally well in lab, but we’ll be able to stop, assess the failure case, learn from it and move on when they fall short. The coolest thing about the lab is that all 20 students will work on a single game of sig-nificant scope throughout their two semesters at UT Austin. Very, very few game development programs at other institutions give stu-dents that long to make their games, and even fewer

programs offer them the op-portunity to work on a team that big. We’re really excited to see what amazing games come out of this approach. LL: What should the ideal candidate already know when they apply for the pro-gram? WS: The simple answer is that candidates should al-ready have significant game development experience. This is not the place to learn how to make games. You need to come to us as the master of your discipline— coding, design or art, mostly

—and having been part of a game development team. We’re just not going to teach the basics. Also, be ready for a full-time commitment. This isn’t just a class or two you take before meeting friends for dinner. Candidates have to be ready to approach this as if it were their first job. It’s a taste of what the real world is like. LL: What can students do now to start developing their game development portfo-lio? WS: The most important thing is to get on a game team or two (or ten) before applying—no experience, no admission. There are three

ways to get into the DSGA —you can come to us with a game development degree from another institution; you can come with real industry experience; or you can be so good at what you do we have no choice but to admit you. Each case requires game de-velopment experience. Pe-riod. End of story. LL: What is the gaming scene like in Austin and/or Texas? WS: Austin is one of the hot-beds of game development in the world, not just in Texas or the U.S. It’s been a center of excellence and a develop-ment hub since the ’80s. There are dozens of game development studios in town, some with hundreds of employees and some with, well, one! If you want to make games, there are few better places to do it than in Austin.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about the DSGA—there’s a real opportunity for our students to leave the pro-gram and get jobs right here in Austin. LL: How will the Denius-Sams Gaming Program bet-ter prepare students to enter today’s job market? WS: Well, no matter how hot game development is right now—and it is hot, with lots of jobs available—there are no guarantees! There’s fierce competition for every open slot. Candidates have to bring something unique to the table. People with industry experience have something to talk about in interviews; recent college grads have far less—there are just too many people getting game degrees these days for a sheepskin to matter much. We feel like the unique fo-

cus of the DSGA gives our graduates something unique to talk about, something that sets them apart. And it’s not just a good story we’re giving them—they’re leaving us with a set of lead-ership skills and an under-standing of how teams really work that will allow them to contribute effectively, even in an entry-level position. We think potential employ-ers will see and appreciate that. All of our students are good enough to get jobs without any help from us—they’re that good—but what we can do is provide a career accelerator. Becoming a game develop-ment leader normally takes 5-10 years. We think we can reduce that timeline. In a sense, we’re not preparing students for jobs; we’re pre-paring students for the jobs they want.

by Savannah WilliamsAssociate Editor

Photo courtesy of Moody College of Communication

Warren Spector, B.A. ’80, returned to the Forty Acres to direct the Denius Sams Gaming Academy. The program opened its doors for the first time this fall.

We’re not preparing students for jobs; we’re preparing students for the jobs they want.

-Warren SpectorDirector, DSGA

“ “

Q&A: MEET THE DIRECTOR OF THE DENIUS-SAMS GAMING ACADEMY

Photo courtesy of Moody College of Communication

Warren Spector, B.A. ’80, returned to the Forty Acres to direct the Denius Sams Gaming Academy. The program opened its doors for the first time this fall.

Name: 3116/West Campus Partners (The ; Width: 29p6; Depth: 10 in; Color: Process color, 3116/West Campus Partners (The ; Ad Number: 3116

Name: 3149/Brick Oven; Width: 29p6; Depth: 10 in; Color: Process color, 3149/Brick Oven; Ad Number: 3149

Page 8Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 OUR CAMPUS