Hau Yi Chloe
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved playing video games. From mobile apps like Angry Birds to Nintendo’s Wii, I spent hours every day grinding through levels and beating my high scores. However, the amount of time I dedicated to gaming began to negatively impact my studies. I neglected my homework, and my grades suffered as a result. This led to constant arguments with my parents, who tried their best to convince me to focus on my studies instead of gaming. Despite their efforts, I refused to listen and continued playing, perpetuating my poor academic performance and the endless cycle of disagreements with my parents.
What ultimately changed my habits was a comment my mom made during one of our arguments. She said, “If you’re not going to develop these games, then don’t play them so obsessively.” At that moment, my rebellious mindset kicked in, and I immediately retorted, “Who says I’m not going to be a game developer?” After saying that, it was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. I realized that becoming a game developer could be an appealing and suitable career path for me. I already had a passion for video games and was willing to devote most of my time to this field. This realization motivated me to study harder, improve my grades, and aim for admission to a top-tier university where I could learn efficient algorithms and design high-quality, engaging video games. With a clear goal in mind, I found the motivation to excel academically and pursue computer science as my major.
After being an HKUST engineering student for two years, I have gained numerous opportunities and enjoyed countless experiences through attending SENG courses and participating in activities hosted by the department and student groups under SENG. From hands-on lab activities in engineering courses to designing STEM robotics programs for primary and secondary students as part of community service, I have developed both technical skills as an engineer and soft skills as a team player, while simultaneously meeting like-minded peers along my journey at HKUST in becoming a superb game software engineer.