Fancy a new career in developing computer games? If so take a one-year course for Bt240,000 at the recently established TOT academy.

The school, set up by the state telecommunications firm formerly known as the Telephone Organisation of Thailand, graduated its first batch of 35 students last Thursday.

Programme-manager Akkachai Kongkerd said: "This is a choice career for game-lovers as well as addicts. We'd like to turn the players into game-developers."

He added that the rapid development of the online game industry in South Korea had inspired TOT to set up one of the country's first 3D online game-learning centres.

"The South Korean government has promoted its online game industry into one of its top foreign-exchange earners. Computer games selling in Thailand today are 99-per-cent imported from South Korea. If we could develop our own games, it would substitute for imports. We could also export our own games," he said.

The TOT academy offers two choices for students: programming specialist or graphic specialist.

The instruction is by four Koreans and four Thais. The first batch of graduates produced three games, entitled "C3", "Legend of Rainbow" and "Marginalist".

"Their work is fine. They have the potential to be professional game-developers," said Kaimuk Panpaeng, the personnel-manager of AsiaSoft, one of Thailand's biggest computer-game companies.

Chang Gun-yeom, one of the four Korean lecturers, said compared to his experiences in South Korea, Thai students had shown him great enthusiasm. "Thai students' good point is their creativity. It reflects in the strategies and development of characters in the games. I am very satisfied with the results," he said.

Wisit Charoenwissarutkul, 27, a recent computer-science graduate who attended the course, said he had got what he expected. Wisit has been playing computer games since his high-school days. He decided to quit his first three years studying political science at Ramkhamhaeng University in favour of ABAC University's computer-science course in order to follow his passion. He decided to continue with the TOT course to learn more about computer-game programming.

"I would like to continue working in this field," he said before revealing that he had been offered a job as part of a game-development team at the TOT centre.

Another student, Athawat Daengsurisri, 23, who quit his job as a graphics officer at UBC so he could do the course, said he was very appreciative of the class atmosphere and style. "It's different from the system at our university. Classes go step by step with real practice and rounded knowledge," he said in praise of the Korean teacher.

Both students said they had discovered the course in a popular game magazine called Future Gamer and decided to try it, after initial doubts about the high fees. "To me it's worth the investment if you're really interested in being a computer-game developer," Athawat said.

Some people had been in the computer-game business for years, but only informally, until they went on the TOT course, said AsiaSoft's senior officer.

"It should be a promising career eventually," she said, adding that her company was now also looking for more staffers to add to its existing 300, especially ones who could develop new games. How bright this new career becomes depends on the strength of the game business, the Korean teacher said.

"Integrating 3D games into mobile phones is today's direction technologically. If this is successful, the market will become much larger," he explained from a personal assessment based on the South Korean and Thai situations.

Even though they are among game-lovers, both Athawat and Wisit agree that computer games have two sides and without careful use can harm lives. "I never let myself sit in front of computer for more than two hours a day," Atthawat said, explaining the discipline needed.

"I don't play online games too much, and I select those which finish before they consume too much of my time," he said.

No matter what attitude people take to computer games, especially online games, it is a fact that 50 per cent of computer time in Thailand is spent playing games. The estimated number of game-lovers in Thailand is five million. If that is accurate, one in every 12 people on the street is a computer gamer.

There are two types of computer games available today, online and offline. In Thailand, half favour the online variety while the others stay off line. Some game websites claim business rose in value from Bt700 million to Bt1 billion during 2003 and 2004.

"Computer games came to Thailand shortly before 2000, grew in 2001 and boomed in 2002, before continuing moderate growth until now," said Akhawat.

Game phobics often ask game-lovers: what is the charm? Relaxing, relieving tension or emotions and adventure travel are among major reasons, Akkachai said. "It is very much like the real world. We can go shopping, exercise, play golf, even hire a caddy if we need to. Today's games are interactive, and we cannot speculate what will happen next," Athawat said.

"I learn a lot playing games. Today's games give you a much more adventurous experience. Every time you make a decision in a game, you can't guess what you'll face next. That's how I learn my friends' habits through game playing," said Wisit, who never plays games with strangers, only friends.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation