When Faye isn’t studying for her English Language degree with The Open University, she’s creating video games that celebrate her love of words.
Faye shares how her first OU module material gave her the creative spark and confidence to take the plunge into the world of gaming.
“I’m definitely a gamer girl,” said Faye, who is in the second year of her degree. “I especially love games with a strong narrative and well-developed characters.
“I chose to study English Language with the OU because I want to gain a technical knowledge of language and also boost my creative writing skills,” she explained.
“I hope my degree will support my dream of having a career in the games industry as a writer and designer.”
Sparking a new career
The inspiration for a new creative venture struck early on in Faye’s OU journey:
“The first module of my degree focused on dialects, idiolects and communicative repertoires that form such an important part of people’s identities,” she said.
“Spending the year considering the importance of language to a person’s identity made me really conscious of how amazing a person’s idiolect is. There are so many influences on the way a person speaks, it really is as unique as a fingerprint.
“That’s when I got the idea to create a video game that celebrated these different types of linguistic diversity. I wrote and then self-published ‘Dear Agony Aunt’, a storytelling game where you interact with a variety of different characters through written communication. The aim is to pay attention to their words to help solve their problems.
“It’s a love letter to the English language,” she added.
Finding a renewed self-belief
For Faye, one of the biggest benefits of studying with the OU is the flexibility. It means she can fit her studies around her career and other passions, including her goal of learning Japanese.
“I studied Linguistics and Japanese at a brick university for a year, but I have an anxiety disorder which made attending campus difficult,” she said. “The way courses are delivered at the OU is much more accessible.
“I want to get the absolute most out of my OU experience,” she added. “It’s challenging to balance everything but I’m genuinely enjoying all of my commitments, which definitely helps me to stay motivated.”
After doubting her abilities, Faye now feels she’s in exactly the right place to achieve her goals.
“I’m not in my comfort zone – university studies are hard work – but I’m not in a situation where I’m constantly panicking. It’s amazing to find out what I’m capable of in the right circumstances. I’m so grateful the OU has given me this opportunity.
“I really appreciate the effort the OU puts in to not only make the materials informative but also engaging. The work being broken up into weekly units suits me perfectly! It keeps me on track without the pressure to get something done on a specific day.”
An exciting future as a video game developer
Faye’s studies include a creative writing module, which has enabled her to boost her storytelling skills even further. Not only is she progressing academically but studying is also helping Faye to realise she’s capable of even more than she thought.
“I think I have more belief in myself since becoming an OU student. I have been putting in the work and it’s so rewarding to see that recognised and turning into results,” she said.
“I want to prove to myself that I can complete this degree with high marks in every module. I’ve felt like an underachiever for too long so now I’m taking action to show myself what I’m capable of. Sometimes forging your own path is the only way to get where you want to go.”
