Building a root-bound Victorian world for Falmouth’s Games Expo | Degree Show Stories
18 August 2026
BA(Hons) Game Art graduate Kodie Holland spent her final year creating Atelier's Key, a first-person shooter set in a root-bound Victorian world, working as an environment artist and more on a project that pushed her far beyond her own specialism.
Kodie came to Falmouth without a background in games, having previously worked as a firefighter. She now graduates with a game that won Most Striking Visuals at Falmouth Games Academy’s Expo awards and a whole host of skills outside of her game art discipline.
"I'm Kodie Holland. I'm a third-year game art student.
"Our game is called Atelier's Key. It's a first-person shooter set in a root-bound Victorian world. I am an environment artist. I'm a lead prop artist, so all the little props that you see in and around the game. Anything that you see has been made with great effort and creativity. You learn a lot about other areas. I've learnt more about programming than I ever thought I ever would.
"I'd never done anything like this before, so I needed something that was kind of beginner-friendly. I was actually a firefighter, and I decided to do game design. It was something that I was always interested in, so I joined uni, and here I am. I love every minute of it, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
"Working with actors for free, working with dancers for free, working with computers of the highest tech. You can do after-studio sessions as well, picking brains from the lecturers. It's incredible knowledge. You can't put a price on it."
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