Writing his Singapore Story
“Young Singaporeans are writing their own Singapore stories too. They enjoy more opportunities than their parents ever did. So, they are taking an alternative route to success,” said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech this year (17 August 2008).
And someone we know who is indeed writing his own story is Muhammad Fadzuli bin Mohamad Said, our very own Diploma in Digital Entertainment Technology graduate.
Cited as a shining example by PM Lee, this 26 year-old is currently a master's student at Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, in the US, and just about to complete his three-month attachment with Disney VR Studio, designing online games. He is now working on an online game inspired by adventure movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”, adding new combat skills and storm cloud effects for a weather system.
The son of a retiree dad and receptionist mum has indeed come a long way since his early years.
Once, he dreamt about creating the ‘best ever’ and most popular “made-in-Singapore” computer game for teenagers and hard-core gamers everywhere.
That dream, however, came to brief halt after his GCE ‘O’ level examinations. Discouraged with his results, Fadzuli took a break from his studies and spent the next two years as a sales assistant in a comic bookstore before entering National Service (NS).
“In NS, I spent a lot of time thinking about my future,” he recalled. “I knew I had the knack for technology stuff, and so I decided to do a course that would help me develop my strengths.”
So, in 2004, Fadzuli enrolled for the Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) course at NYP. He chalked up nine distinctions and a perfect Grade Point Average of 4.0. His love for gaming was re-ignited when the School of Interactive and Digital Media launched Singapore’s first three-year Diploma in Digital Entertainment Technology (DET) the following year. Fadzuli seized the opportunity and he was granted a transfer to DET from DIT.
He had a natural flair for creating games, and discovered his strengths in games programming, multi-player networking programming and games design.
“Lessons were great fun, because of my passion for games,” recalled Fadzuli. “I was also determined to do well so I made sure I understood all my lecturers taught me. I set targets and pushed myself to achieve my best in every single module. My lecturers motivated me too; their chats with me would inspire me to stretch beyond the normal scope of the assignments, resulting in projects I was proud of.”
Fadzuli topped his cohort with 18 distinctions and 13As, and received the prestigious Media Development Authority of Singapore IDM Award - presented to the most outstanding student of the School of Interactive and Digital Media.
This led to another golden opportunity. Fadzuli was given a direct entry into a Masters of Entertainment Technology (MET) at CMU’s Entertainment Technology Centre (ETC) under the prestigious Media Development Authority-ST Electronics Scholarship.
He has come a long way, and he is thankful to his family for their strong support. “When I was younger, both my parents worked very hard to pay the bills. My dad would find time during his breaks at work to go through my school work with me over the phone. What moved me was that my Malay-educated dad would even test me on Chinese spelling. As for my mum, she constantly worries about me, as all mothers do. She used to be worried that I was spending too much time playing games during my secondary school days, and she’s glad that I’ve decided to further my studies,” he said. After completing his CMU studies in 2009, Fadzuli plans to return to Singapore. “I really want to contribute to the gaming industry in Singapore, and play my part in attracting more investors,” he said. |
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