UM graduate student Brittany Westlund, based in Kalispell, is making strides in the field of game design while completing her Master of Fine Arts in Game Design and Interactive Media at the University of Montana. Westlund, who began her academic journey with a UM undergraduate degree in media arts completed online, expects to finish her graduate studies next spring.
Westlund has achieved several notable accomplishments recently. Her video game project won Best in Show at UM’s Media Arts Expo last spring. Over the summer, she contributed to a short-form interactive experience called a “game poem,” which was published in Game Poems magazine. Additionally, an article she authored was accepted for publication in the Games for Higher Education encyclopedia.
Alongside her studies and creative projects, Westlund teaches online classes at UM and has launched Charmlab Studio, her own game studio. She is currently developing a video game featuring a mushroom character that helps restore balance to a forest through nonviolent actions such as rest and care.
Michael Cassens, associate professor at UM’s School of Visual and Media Arts and one of Westlund’s mentors, said: “Brittany has become a leader and innovator in creating community in the online space. I think her journey has been remarkable and that she has come to embody who we are here at UM.”
Westlund’s approach to gaming emphasizes curiosity, compassion, and creativity rather than violence. As stated on her studio website: “There are plenty of those out there,” she said with a laugh.
Originally from Vancouver, Washington, Westlund moved to Montana where she worked in microbiology before pursuing higher education at Flathead Valley Community College for two years. The Montana University System 2+2 Honor Scholarship enabled her to transfer to UM tuition-free for the remainder of her undergraduate studies.
Adjusting initially to online learning was challenging for Westlund due to its isolating nature. She overcame this by seeking mentorships and participating actively in campus workshops and seminars—both within and outside her department—and by engaging with weekly seminars alongside fellow game developers.
“You need mentors you can talk to about the things you really care about,” Westlund said. “And I made sure I was doing the work to connect with the campus community.”
Graduate students like Westlund are required to take on teaching roles as part of their program responsibilities. She started as a grading assistant before moving into teaching web design courses herself.
“Usually this starts as a grading assistant, but by the second or third year you can be teaching,” Westlund said. “I kind of followed that route and fell into web design because I was comfortable in that area. I was really excited to teach people how to code because it was hard for me to learn. I think it kind of gave me an advantage knowing where people were going to get caught up, because I know where I had problems. So it has been fun for me to relate my own learning experience to theirs and really connect with the students.”
With class sizes ranging from 15-45 students per course taught online, Westlund is now considering continuing as an educator after graduation.
“I really enjoy it so much,” she said. “I love helping students understand things they didn’t think they could – like coding – which they totally can. It’s just so fun to prove to them what they’re capable of.”
Westlund collaborated on “Asunder,” a game poem created with Assistant Professor Ashley Rezvani leading programming/game design and alumna Kate Lloyd handling sound design; Westlund directed art/environmental design elements for this project intended as an emotional interactive experience.
Sound played an important role: players place flowers into vases triggering musical layers forming into songs providing moments of calm amid chaos depicted within gameplay scenarios focused on sorting thoughts/actions toward relief—a process designed collaboratively during virtual meetings plus one visit by Westlund back onto campus facilities specifically recording voiceovers using university resources.
“Working on that project was such a great experience, and being on campus made me feel very much like a student – like ‘Whoa! UM’s campus and resources are incredible,’” she said.
The team’s work will appear in Game Poems magazine’s inaugural issue; meanwhile another article written by Westlund discussing “Before I Forget”—a serious exploration game centered around dementia—is set for inclusion within Games for Higher Education encyclopedia (a resource compiling games suitable as educational tools across fields such as psychology/cognitive science/gerontology).
Reflecting upon skill development gained via media arts training—including graphic/animation/motion/illustration techniques—Westlund noted: “But it wasn’t until game design that I saw a way to combine all those skills into something that could be incredibly meaningful for me,” adding excitement over interactive storytelling possibilities available through digital mediums today.
Her new studio aims not only at producing emotionally driven narrative games but also supporting other designers navigating complex production processes through collaboration—an approach fostered throughout time spent engaged within UM programs emphasizing teamwork/community-building values:
“My time at UM has taught me to embrace collaboration with others,” she said.“It’s just so much easier and faster and more enjoyable to work with other people on games because they are so hard to put together yourself.I’ve really learned to value the community and collaborative nature of my program.”
In Luna—the working title for her current solo project—a Moonpetal mushroom protagonist restores forest harmony through peaceful means including creating paths/rest/brewing tea/helping animals instead resorting violence typically found elsewhere:
“There are already a lot of talented game designers out there making violent games,” she explained.“I’m trying a different approach.”
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