Meet the SFU Public Square Team: Chris Louie

With the launch of our brand-new website, we wanted to recognize one of the key people behind it! For the fall 2021 semester, we were lucky to have Chris Louie, a co-op student from SFU's School of Interactive Art and Technology, join our team as Website Development Assistant. Building on the great work started by Dennis Limbo, our previous co-op student in this role, Chris played an integral part in bringing our new website to life using his HTML, CSS and JavaScript wizardry. We interviewed Chris about his experience doing his co-op term with SFU Public Square and his passion for web development and game design.

Sakshi: What drew you to want to work with SFU Public Square?

Chris: I was drawn to SFU Public Square by the aspect of community/public engagement and the fact that its events were focused on the important issues of the day. I also liked being able to give back to the SFU community, and how this role would let me experience the process of launching a website.

What will you miss most about working at SFU Public Square?

One thing I will miss most about working at SFU Public Square is the small team size. Working with the small team at SFU Public Square and in the small SFU Public Square office space made it easy to get to know everyone on the team and made me feel like I was a part of the team.

Why did you decide to pursue a degree in Interactive Arts and Technology?

I was always interested in web design and game design. I enjoyed the puzzle-solving and creativity involved in getting the front end and back end of a game or website working together to produce the desired result. What helped was that I was good at math and could pick up new coding skills and languages relatively quickly.

What drew me to pursue a degree in Interactive Arts and Technology was the opportunity to explore various different disciplines related to design, media, technology and interaction (e.g., animation, web and mobile app design, game design, interactive technology) and the ways they are connected to and work with each other. I also liked how you were able to choose which courses to take at the upper level from the disciplines you enjoy, unlike other programs, which only focus on a single discipline or a small set of disciplines.

You’re passionate about video games and game development—tell us more about that!

I grew up playing video games and enjoy playing games of various genres. I have always been interested in the way the various features and mechanics are designed and optimized so that they can work together to create the desired gameplay experience. 

I got into game design because I was interested in learning about the intricacies and problem-solving involved in creating the various mechanics and features of a game. I was intrigued by how the back-end logic, data and optimization needed for each mechanic and feature—especially simple ones like player/camera movement, game menus, and interacting with objects—require precise problem-solving and logical thinking to get them working the way you want, and differ depending on the game development platform and coding language.

Thank you for all your hard work, Chris! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.