Nice to meet you, we are Kyona Koenen and Suzie Breikers, the creators of the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 3D edition. We are currently students of the Master’s Media Studies: Digital Cultures at the University of Maastricht and have created this edition as a part of the course Creating Digital Collections. In this course, we worked in small teams of two to create a digital collection with 3D models called “Toys With a Voice”. A key theme of the course is the significance of objects, both physical and digital, and their social, historical, and cultural values. First, we will introduce ourselves:
Kyona Koenen:
Hello, I’m Kyona Koenen. I have previously finished my bachelor's in Arts and Culture at the University of Maastricht. This has sparked an interest in sociology and communication combined with game studies and telepresence. This study was very theoretical and focused on learning the skills necessary for critical analysis. This led me to enroll in this master’s program to gain some more practical skills, and it is very interesting to see the combination of theory and practice.
Analysing E.T. as an object, a movie, and a digital product has therefore been a very refreshing and interesting experience. It is not just an analysis, it is a product with a visual and practical use, something I could not have dreamt of making after finishing my bachelor’s and I am very happy to have had this experience.
Suzie Breikers:
Hi, my name is Suzie. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Communication and Multimedia Design at Zuyd Hogeschool in Maastricht in 2023. This programme was practical and project-based, which I really enjoyed. However, I also wanted to explore the theoretical aspects of communication technologies in more depth. This curiosity led me to do a pre-master’s last year, and I am now enrolled in the master’s programme.
While I enjoy writing and researching, I found myself missing the creative and technical aspects I had developed during my bachelor’s degree, such as photography and storytelling. These skills proved valuable in this course, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much, it allowed me to reconnect with my creative side.