JUST THE JOB FOR
A GAMES DESIGNER
Copyright 2001 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ November 13th 2001 ]
But on
the other hand, games development is the new rock
'N' roll. The success of Angelina Jolie's blockbusting
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (as opposed to ropey Bob
Hoskins's vehicle Super Mario Brothers) has proved
that computer games have crossed over as a valid
art form as well as one of the nation's favourite
pastimes.
THE
PEOPLE
In terms
of the male/female ratio, the games industry is
still very much dominated by boys and their toys,
and the pizza 'N' spectacles image of the games
developer persists to some extent, however untrue
it might be. But what you are more likely to find
is a young, creatively talented workforce with
lots of ideas and lots of enthusiasm. The work
can involve programming or design, and individuals
are assigned as part of a team to a single project.
It's
not all rendering 3D zombies and writing code
so Lara Croft can shoot her gun, though. There
are, as in other industries, openings for specialists
such as audio engineers and quality assurance
technicians (games-testers).
THE
EMPLOYERS
The
good news is that the UK is now a major player
in global computer game development, with the
market being led by British houses such as Codemasters,
so you won't have to voyage over to Nintendo HQ
in Japan to have a slice of the action. The UK
games industry already employs more than the film
industry in this country: no mean feat when you
consider that both have been expanding rapidly
during the past few years. Games development is
one of the few areas of IT that is still going
strong, and new hardware on the market means it
is not going to slow down in the near future.
THE
REQUIREMENTS
What
with PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox apparently
taking over the world, the industry is one that
moves faster than that souped-up Nissan Skyline
out of Gran Turismo: you'll need to be able to
keep up. The required technical expertise will
obviously vary according to what project you're
working on, which platform it's designed for (Game
Boy or Xbox? PC or PlayStation?), and what your
specific role will be (for example, graphics,
sound or gameplay).
Broadly
speaking, though, you'll need to be able to work
as part of a team, and a passion for video games
beyond the odd game of Tekken after closing time
is crucial to get your foot in the door.
THE
REWARDS
The
ultimate reward is bashing out a few rounds on
a finished game that you've seen through initial
conception, coding, testing and to completion.
Working in a dedicated creative team in which
the pressure is on to come up with the best ideas
is another major plus (the money's not bad, either).
Occasional
high-pressure deadlines towards the end of a project
are the flip side of the satisfaction received
at seeing a finished game top the Christmas charts.
APPLYING
If you
have a portfolio showcasing your best work in
animation, graphics or some other facet of games
development, you're on the right lines. Qualifications
are not as important as enthusiasm, imagination
and straightforward talent, so make sure your
work is so good employers can't afford not to
take notice.
Information
supplied by GTI, publishers of doctorjob.com,
the NOW! magazines and the TARGET family, a comprehensive
range of graduate and undergraduate careers publications,
available from careers services, university departments
and ordered directly from GTI Specialist Publishers
on 01491 826262.
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