If we talk about professional careers of programming beyond video games, Aitor Aginaga, Kerman Munitxa and Mateo Couso have a lot to tell. These three have completed their BS in Computer Science in Real Time Interactive Simulation and are currently working at CAF Signalling, a global company dedicated to the design, manufacture and maintenance of railway systems.
CAF Signalling is a Basque multinational company, acronyms of the translation of “Railways Construction and Assistance”. In other words, it is engaged in the manufacture of trains, trams, and metros as well as the modernization and maintenance of the systems. What makes CAF Signalling a world-renowned pioneer are its systems innovation and technology.
The knowledge acquired in video game programming directly connects to their current work at CAF Signalling. The skills they developed while creating complex game mechanics, real-time systems, their experience with C++, and their ability to collaborate on multidisciplinary projects have enabled them to adapt seamlessly to developing software for railway traffic management and automation. This demonstrates how video game training is highly transferable and applicable to various technological sectors.
These modern systems are the ones that caught the attention of Aginaga, Munitxa, and Couso. The paths of these three alumni are parallel, but not similar. They all started as classmates in DigiPen Europe-Bilbao, but gradually they took different roads.
Aitor Aginaga had his first contact with working after completing his degree studies at CAF Signalling. He is currently working on the team responsible for automating the operation of locomotives. His project is about programming the actions that a train driver could take if an automatic train had an emergency.
Kerman Munitxa and Mateo Couso have previously worked in other industries. Kerman spent a year and a half in Sweden programming MMO games in Star Stable Entertainment to finally return to the Basque Country in August 2023. In the case of Couso, he worked for a few years at the Vicomtech Research Center and a year and a half ago he started working at CAF Signalling.
Kerman and Mateo are working together on a project inherited from Madrid about researching metro and tram systems. In other words, they develop cameras and monitoring systems to manage vehicles’ movement around the city. This is done from a “control center” which organizes traffic to improve circulation and avoid accidents.
The three alumni highlight that their experience at DigiPen Europe-Bilbao was fundamental in their professional careers. For them, the main outcomes they took from their degree were the practical lessons and the work routine that they adopted. “It’s not just studying for exams. You may be at the campus during the day doing your tasks”, explained Kerman Munitxa.
When you study at DigiPen, you must be on campus and work daily on your projects. When you enter the world of work, you have that routine internalized. We did not need to adapt to the working schedule, and this is an advantage.
- Kerman Munitxa
When discussing their favorite subjects, all three students agreed that programming stood out, especially CS 225 with Iker Silvano. Mateo Couso particularly highlighted this, as it was when he realized programming was his passion. “Silvano teaches the course in the second year, and I remember thinking for the first time, ‘Okay, now I’m getting it; I want to program,’”, commented Mateo.
That same year, the alumni began applying their newfound programming knowledge to their projects. Kerman Munitxa, for example, developed with other students SkyWolf (2019), a video game where the player sails an aircraft searching his kidnapped friends. This project was a finalist for awards such as the 2019 Fun & Serius Game Festival or the 2019 Gamelab Barcelona.
Other projects of theirs include Mirlo: Above The Sun (2021), on Mirlo’s way to retrieve the beasts of the forest; and Seavilizations (2020).
Finally, the three programmers highlighted the way DigiPen Europe-Bilbao is organized for multidisciplinary projects. Throughout the four years, they worked on projects with colleagues from the BFA in Digital Arts and Animation, creating complete 2D and 3D video games. Thanks to this, they have learned how to combine their work with that of colleagues from other specialties and how to naturally maintain hierarchies and relationships with other workers.
When asked about their future, all three have clear plans. Aitor Aginaga, being Basque, finds working in his homeland ideal and aims to stay long-term at CAF Signalling, where he’s content with his professional growth. Kerman Munitxa, after trying the video game industry, prefers the stability and proximity of the railway sector. Mateo Couso is open to exploring video games someday, but for now, he’ll remain with his current team. What unites them is their shared passion for programming and their desire to keep growing as professionals.