Turkey’s economic and infrastructural growth over the past decades has made it an attractive place for people all over the region, which from the Balkans to the Caucasus to the Middle East has seen more than its fair share of instability. In no field is that truer than in education, where Turkish universities have become popular destinations for many foreign students. Public institutions like Boğaziçi University have long enjoyed renowned academic traditions, but so too have Turkish private university begun to build international reputations and have thus attracted many talented young people who wish to study abroad. It also attracts many people who needs to study abroad for reasons beyond their control.
Yabangee recently sat down with Omar Johmani, a game design student at Bahçeşehir University, to talk about his experiences as a Syrian student studying in Istanbul and what attracts him to study games rather than just playing them.
When did you decide that you wanted to make games?
I actually got into programming specifically to make games, but I had never had access to a proper game design program before. I’ve always loved games and have been curious about them. When I was 17, I started to learn how games are made in terms of programming. It was like being told Santa wasn’t real. It totally changed my view of games. There was less magic in playing them, and I’m not sure now that I am happy about it. Maybe I would’ve been happier had I always stayed ignorant about how games work, but you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Now that I know, I want to use the knowledge to make that magic for other people.
What was the first game that you can remember?
I remember playing Mario on NES when I was really young, but Crash Bandicoot was my favorite game series when I was a child. I loved playing those games on my Playstation 1. Those were happy times.
What are you playing right now?
I’m really into open world games now, the kinds that you spend weeks exploring. I especially like the ones that incorporate fantasy and magic, games like Witcher 3 and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, which is very old but such a timeless classic. Games like GTA are cool, but the realistic setting makes it less interesting to me even though they are also open world. I prefer when basically everything I see is new and required an artist to design and create. Going into GTA and seeing cars and buildings, no matter how well modeled, just lacks that kind of novelty. But, a good game is a good game, so I’m down to give just about anything a try.
How did you come to Turkey?
I came with my family from Saudi Arabia. We are originally from Syria, but the problems there meant we needed to leave. When I got older, my family decided to come to Turkey specifically for my university. We came on passports and so we’re not refugees, but even this really is only a temporary solution. I’m not sure where I will go when I graduate. It is a major stress for me right now in life and I don’t know what the solution can be for me. I’d be happy to stay in Turkey, but I would consider almost any place where I can stay permanently.
What is it like to be a foreign student in Turkey?
The university itself makes a big difference on the experience. Bahçeşehir is great for me because the classes are much smaller and everyone quickly becomes like friends and family. Aydın was huge and there were too many students there. I felt like an outsider and never got comfortable there.
At Bahçeşehir, I feel like I know everyone that I see every day. I can ask more experience artists for help when I need it and I know that they’ll help me because we’re all working together here.
The language was also much more of a challenge at Aydın. Most students speak Turkish as their first language here at Bahçeşehir, but because there is this stronger sense of community, they are much more likely to speak in English in group situations and that helps foreign students feel involved. My English has actually improved a lot since I’ve been studying here.
However, the process of applying to the university and for the resident permit is a pain no matter what. I did it all myself, rather than to use the universities’ permit offices. Dealing with emniyet was crazy difficult.
How did you come to Bahçeşehir University?
I actually came to Bahçeşehir after starting at another university in Turkey, Aydın University. I had heard about the university from friends but really thought it was going to be too expensive for me and my family. I wasn’t happy at Aydın and decided that I needed to change programs and my field of study. I had been studying software engineering and wanted to move to something more creative, but of course most creative programs in Turkey are in Turkish and my Turkish wasn’t strong enough at that time. I was desperate to find English programs, so I turned to Bahçeşehir as a last resort. I was surprised to find it wasn’t as expensive as I expected.
I took a look at their Game Design program and really liked what I saw there. It has a nice balance of the kind of art and design work that I want, while also having the software programming component that I was already familiar with. I like games and it seemed a bit like fate that I found it when I did.
Coming to Bahçeşehir turned out to be a great decision for me because I’m much happier here and I feel good about studying game design.
What motivates you to pursue a career in gaming?
I want to make good games about my culture. That’s been my motivation. I look around the Middle East and there are no really good gaming companies. The games that are made are unoriginal copies or they are cheap excuses to make money off of religion. I want games to make games that don’t need to focus exclusively on religion. Arab culture has so much history and mythology which should be inspiring us as game developers to make really unique experiences. Roman and Greek mythologies are great, but we had so many of those already. Arab mythologies are really fascinating and can be quite interesting for gamers.
Any advice for other students looking at studying abroad in Turkey?
Really focus on the culture of the university and make sure it is a good fit for you. Some students probably love feeling part of a massive student body, but I am much more comfortable in a smaller program.
Don’t have your hopes too high about your experience, either academic of social. The lower your expectations, the happier you’ll be. There are some kinds of foreigners that Turkish students and professors seem to like more, and being the other kind of foreigner is always a problem in Istanbul. You just have to accept it and deal with it.
