Meet Game Academy co-founder, data scientist Andrey Chernyavskiy. He is one of the most accomplished game players in our team, de-facto Spiritual Father of our game chapel and a nerve centre for data and its processing.
A researcher at the Valiev Institute of Physics and Technology at the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the Research Center of Neurology, Andrey has a PhD in Mathematics and Computer Science. He has carried out 14 research projects, has published 27 scientific articles, 3 books and has completed *70* — yes, that’s 70! — RPG games.
We caught up with Andrey to share his ideas, excitement for games and commitment to Game Academy — to enabling players to identify and capitalise upon their in-game talent.
David Barrie (Game Academy): So how in heaven’s name have you managed to play and complete 70 RPGs?!?
Andrey: I’ve been playing games since the age of 10. 70 RPGs is not normal at all, I get that. Straight answer: you need to find the time! How did I do it? I decided to not take on full-time office work since I wanted time to develop myself, study, read, enjoy my hobbies — and play games.
How many hours do you play every week?
For one or two weeks, I might play 20hrs a day but then I can just stop and not play for a month or two. One time, I played Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal for 40hrs non-stop, except for moments of eating and, er, basic body management. My favourite RPGs include Fallout (especially 1 and 2), Arcanum, Baldur’s Gate, Age of Decadence, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines, Mass Effect. My Steam profile says I have played 78 VR titles. I also like different management sims, like Cities Skylines and Prison Architect.
What grips you in a game?
Hunting for treasure is the mechanic that I like most. It could be a treasure chest, a crazy quest for just something cool. I play games for reward —not personal financial reward but the thrill of seeing the development of a character at the centre of a game and personal fulfilment.
I am easily addicted to everything. Nightclubs, books, music, girls…games put me into an isolated place and give me a regime to work with and enjoy. Games help me set a regime for me to develop myself. They are a kind of simulation of the social for me too.
You are very committed to games as a media for self-development. Tell us more about that.
After seven years of teaching, I have really seen the intelligence of students and understand their potential beyond education. I know of no-one who plays difficult RPGs who isn’t intelligent. They might not read. They might have little or no formal education. But when they play RPGs, they express huge intelligence.
I have used games to develop myself. If I’ve had a difficult maths question, I’ve chosen a video game to play — and a game that’s difficult. I play the game for two days, tune my brain into a regime of learning and I find that it helps when I return to try to resolve the problem. Also, I find that after playing with unusual characters in RPG games, I start to see new, unusual possibilities in real life situations. I see new patterns of affection.
Some games are more developmental than others. But it’s not just complex games like Dark Souls or Baldur’s Gate. Call of Duty, Fortnite, Football Manager, these games can be educational. But it’s important to understand that they are not steady-state challenging. So if you lapse into playing these games in a more casual style, they lose their capacity to teach you things. Play games thoroughly! With intent! Sharpen your talent!
Are there games or aspects of games that you think are particularly educational?
The most interesting games to me are ones that fuse emotion, narrative, historical facts and learning. In text books, you have facts but in games you see reasons and consequences — and it’s that richness that makes them so useful for educating yourself. The best education I once read is that which takes the learner into a ‘flow’ of thinking and behaviour but then from time to time jumps them out. Think of it as reframing the mind. I think that this kind of experience provides the best opportunities to learn — and the immersive design and event-based narrative and mechanics of many games provides the best kind of support.
Two final questions. What’s your role at Game Academy?
Data analysis. I am looking to use maths, statistics and computer science to find correlations between game play and opportunities, challenges and abilities demanded by life outside of the game. It is such an interesting area!
What for you would be a key mark of success of the venture?
I am a game player and a teacher. I want us at Game Academy to make the best educational courses in the world, using the commercial games that players like me like and love.
But when it comes to Game Academy, I’ve more dreams than a surfer!
I want to enable game players to lead everyday lives that are as interesting as their in-game life.
I want to change the game industry and help developers make better games — just now quite a lot of publishers make poor games but like blockbuster movies, those games seem successful because of marketing on an epic scale.
Also, I want to transform the perception of games. Of course, games are fun but they should also be seen as great media for identifying and developing talent.
Want to find out more about Game Academy, and sign up to our first course on Decision-Making? You can register via our website.
Want to help us develop Game Academy and get closer to the development of our venture? Apply to join our private Facebook group.
