Jobs in the Games Industry

What you should know to maximise your employability

chances!

By Lukas Roper

lukas@opposablegames.com @LukasRoper

Who Am I?

• Programmer at Opposable Games.

• Recent graduate from UWE.

• Completed an unpaid internship on

a sandwich year at Fluffy Logic.

• Attempted to create my own

business Lucky You Games.

• Developed an independent game

“AChromatic”

Before you worry about employers…

• Be sure to take advantage of your current situation.

• Your second year should be about consolidating your skills.

– And you should aim to develop some sort of speciality.

• Your third year should encompass your skills to create products that prove

you’re ready for employment.

• You’re in a time rich situation

– So use it to build up your portfolio.

– University work is great but you need more.

Common Misconceptions

• You are not owed a job just because you have a good degree.

– It’s up to you to prove that you are better then the rest.

– Thousands of other students will be in the same position.

• Junior games industry jobs pay poorly compared to other IT industries.

• Most offices will generally feel “relaxed”.

– But you’ll be expected to work just as hard as any other business.

• There are no “shortcuts”.

Your C.V, Covering Letter and Portfolio

• Your C.V:

– Should be concise.

– Should explain work experience, skills, qualifications, mission

statement.

• Your Covering Letter:

– Needs to be tailored to each employer.

– Explain why you’re the most suitable for the job.

• Portfolio

– Should be an expanded version of your C.V.

– Should be another form of contact.

The application process

• If you’ve applied for a job in any industry most of these points are valid:

– Find out exactly who the application should be sent to.

• If in doubt, ring the office and explicitly ask.

– Be ready to take a phone call from employer during office hours.

• Creates a bad impression if you’ve taken a call and it sounds like

you’ve just woken up…

– Don’t be downhearted if you get rejected.

• Try and get feedback if possible.

• Learn where you went wrong and try again.

The interview

• Be sure to prepare:

– Be confident you know exactly how to get there.

– Arrive with plenty of time to spare.

– Dress appropriately.

– Research the employer’s games and products.

– Be prepared to be tested on your skills

• Plenty of books available with interview questions in.

8 tips to impress an employer

Have a showable product.

• Try to have a product that you’re ready to show potential employers during

your third year.

• Make it easy to distribute.

• Be ready to show the source code.

• Don’t be afraid to collaborate with fellow coders and artists.

• My game “Achromatic” is an example.

Get a secondary skill

• Get some knowledge of other parts of the workflow.

• Helps to develop an all round understanding.

• Can come in useful, especially when working for smaller companies.

• There’s no room in companies for people that can’t socialise.

• Communication is often more important than your personal skill level.

• Enables you to be more confident at interview.

Be sociable

Don’t be modest

• You can’t be modest about your achievements.

• Too much competition.

• But don’t lie or over exaggerate achievements.

• Portfolio site.

• Social Media.

Be Online

Work Experience

• Consider every opportunity even if it’s unpaid.

• But be wary of:

– Ensuring that the internship provides what you are expecting (especially

if you’re unpaid).

– That you make your intentions clear of what you are expecting from

your placement.

– That you’re doing it for the experience and not because there’s a

chance of a job at the end.

Keep with the trends

• Be aware at what skills are required by employers:

– Unity 3D experience is highly sought after at the moment.

– just because it is now, does not mean it will be later.

• Check job specs often to see what skill sets employers are after.

• Some requirements rarely change:

– C++ skills are generally always desirable.

• Be ready to change and learn something new.

• Try where possible, to tailor your university work to something that will be

relevant when your seeking employment.

The most important tip of them all!

It’s one you probably all know!

Network, Network, Network!

• You must be networking!

• Contacts are key!

– And there is nothing wrong about using them to help you further down

the line.

• Plenty of opportunities to meet people, conferences including:

– ExPlay

– Develop

– And many more!

• Employers are much happier to give jobs to people they know.

• The games industry is tiny.

A few things to avoid…

Don’t be a dick to anyone.

• Quite an obvious tip.

• But as mentioned the industry is tiny.

• Word travels of those who aren’t worth working with.

• Need to present yourself as a professional person.

• This tweet re-enforces my point:

• Don’t be those people!

Don’t be too picky

• Take whatever you can get (within reason).

• This will enable you to gain experience and enhance your C.V.

• Experience is the biggest hurdle for graduates.

• You can then use this to choose a more preferable job.

Don’t assume everyone’s male• It is mostly a male industry…

• But be wary that anyone could be viewing your work.

• So don’t make work that alienates people.

If all else fails…

Start your own business

• Don’t be afraid to start a business yourself.

• Not as expensive as you may think.

• Plenty of free software available for new businesses. For example,

BizSpark.

• Funding opportunities are available to pay for development of apps and

games.

• Wide personal development.

Placement Opportunity

• Opposable Games are likely to be announcing some sort of summer

programming placement.

• Job spec will be announced soon! (Will likely involve development using

Unity 3D).

• Follow @OpposableGames and/or myself @LukasRoper for more details.

• Now is the opportunity to learn Unity to enhance your chances of being

successful.

Questions?