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Games Without FrontiersComputer games are one of Scotland’s big success stories, but what’s it like to workin the industry? Stuart Brown reports from a recent recruitment fair in downtown Dundee.
It’s the middle of the day, and a line of people has formed outside Fat Sam’s nightclub in Dundee. They’re not here to boogie on down or listen to the latest stand-up, but to attend Game in Scotland – the Scottish computer games industry’s annual recruitment fare. Though the industry has been through a difficult time in recent years, Scotland’s games companies are now back on the attack. If you’re a budding software programmer or a talented visual artist, Scotland’s game companies want YOU!A large chunk of the Scottish computer games industry was at Games in Scotland, all eager to attract the best job candidates, all accessible and available for an informal friendly chat. In one room, the companies had stalls staffed with people handing out leaflets and answering questions one-to-one. In another, on a stage, companies like Glasgow’s WeeWorld (makers of “WeeMee”) and Dundee’s Tag Games (makers of “Dead Water” and “Granny in Paradise” for mobile phones) gave PowerPoint presentations about their products, companies and upcoming projects. Careers fairs like these are held by many industries. They’re free to attend, and are a good way to get a feel for what potential employers are looking for, and what it might be like to work for them. But why Dundee? Although there are games companies in Glasgow and Edinburgh, there is an unusual concentration of games companies up in Tayside. It all goes back to the 80s and the launch of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (ask your dad), one of the first mass-produced home computers which was popular for computer games and was built in Dundee John Duthie, head of Human Resources at Realtime Worlds, the makers of hit game Crackdown for Xbox360, adds: “Then you’ve got the dynamic between Duncan of Jordanstone [College of Art and Design] who were doing art and animation, and the University of Abertay who were doing computer courses and software development. Both were in Dundee. It was just a good fit.” Add to that a bit of help from the government and Dundee has become a world-respected hub for the computer games industry. That’s why Realtime’s here. The success story of Crackdown – a number one hit in North America last year – means Realtime Worlds are currently the largest employer in the Scottish computer games industry. With their ambitious follow up game APB now well into production, they’re set to get even larger. “I think in numbers we’ve got about 50:50 between artists and programmers,” adds John Duthie. “So we have artists, programmers, designers, and producers and managers, because the projects are so big now”. APB, and complex games like it, now take two to three years to create and can have similar budgets to a Hollywood feature-film. “Within art, we’ve got animators, concept people and technical drawers,” John explains. “We’ve got people who just focus on vehicles, people who just do characters, people who just do animation, people who just do the environments. It’s a huge undertaking. And then you’ve got a team of designers who are looking at… what is this game going to be about? What’s the key fun element in this game? What’s the key selling point of this game? What’s going to keep the guys hooked when they’re playing this game?” All that and then there’s the software programmers or “coders” themselves. So – artists, game designers, and coders – a trio of job types for those starting in computer games. According to John, you need to start thinking which you want to be even while still at school. That’s where your portfolio should start: your all-important samples of work or “demos”. For artists, it might just be old-fashioned pencil drawings or paintings, but it might also include characters or environments you’ve created by “modding” (modifying) such elements in existing games. World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament are two games that are particularly popular for this. The free 3D graphics programme Anim8or, or free trial versions of the usually mega-expensive Maya or 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio Max) can also be used to showcase artistic talents. Some schools are lucky enough to have the full versions of these programs. For game designers there’s a range of “middleware” to help you create a computer game without getting into the full nitty-gritty of coding your own game engine. Unreal Tournament 2 and 3 lets you use its graphics engine to make your own original games, and it only costs £5 to £35. Even Realtime Worlds multi-million dollar new release APB will be built on the Unreal engine. It’s very popular within the industry and a good one to get to know. Other software like Torque Game Builder, TorqueX, RPG Maker VX, and XNA Game Studio 2.0 will help you do similar – all for under £65. Though they may require a little coding knowledge, you won’t have to code from scratch. For those who are interested in coding, however, these can be a good place to start, as they allow you to explore that side of game development further if you wish. You’ll almost certainly need a portfolio of self-made “demos” like this to get into the game industry, but before that it’ll help you get into further education, through which virtually all game industry workers first pass. But which university and course should you choose? “There’s lots and lots of courses that proclaim to do computer games – not all of them are good and that’s a real shame,” says John. “What the industry is starting to do – we did the first one last year – is work with Skillset to ‘kite mark’ certain university courses.” Skillset is a UK-wide organisation whose job it is to monitor the British media industry and its workforce; that includes “new media” like computer games. “We also recruit from any good software programming course – it doesn’t have to be a computer games course – and any good art school should help you build up a body of work on the art side,” he adds. And when your university graduation date draws near and it’s time to make that choice about which games company to target for work, remember recruitment fairs like Game in Scotland. Even in cyber-industries like computer games, it’s good to meet people in the flesh. SAMPLE COURSE Course: BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology. Location: School of Computing and Creative Technologies, University of Abertay, Dundee. Details: Four years, full-time. Approximately 60 places a year. Entry qualifications: AABB at Higher Grade, including maths. This highly respected programme provides a good grounding in technologies required by the gaming industry and has strong links with games companies through project work and work placements. You’re assessed through coursework – which may be continuous and include student led presentations – and formal examinations. Some Computer Arts students work part-time for the International Centre for Computing & Virtual Entertainment (IC-CAVE) which attracts visiting experts from around the world and master classes for games companies, allowing final year students to meet prospective employers. What you study: Stage 1: Computer Games Technology; C++ Programming; Introduction to Audio; Applied Mathematics; Media Production. Stage 2: Console Games Development; Graphics Programming; Applied Mathematics; various options such as Japanese, Marketing, Concepts of Composition. Stage 3: 3D Graphics Programming; Programming Environments; Prototype Game Development; various options such as Japanese, Audio Production, Marketing, Applied Mathematics. Stage 4: Advanced Game Technologies; Network Games Programming; Games Professional Awareness; Individual Project. Is this job for you? If you’ve got… - excellent computer skills - a real understanding of computer games - creativity and imagination - excellent problem-solving skills - that you’re a good team player - flexibility and adaptability - patience and attention to detail - an ability to meet deadlines, even if that means working unsocial hours and overtime - a willingness to keep up with industry developments and learn new skills Then you could well be the kind of person Scotland’s game companies could be just the employers you’re looking for! Career Prospects According to the University of Abertay, there’s a worldwide shortage of 3D game programmers for the computer games, virtual reality and computer simulation industries, and a constant demand for first-rate computer programmers – especially in the area of graphics programming. Their graduates have found employment as games, graphics and network programmers in a wide variety of different fields – creating games for handheld devices (like mobile phones and PDAs) and platforms such as the Nintendo Gamecube, Microsoft XBox and the Sony Playstation 2. SHOW ME THE MONEY! Salaries for computer games programmers and designers do vary depending on individual responsibilities and the size and type of company. According to Careers Scotland, salaries are in the range of £21,000 to £26,500 a year, rising to £33,500 to £40,500. Higher earners can make around £51,500. Many companies will offer bonuses and share schemes for successfully completing projects. SKILLSET So far Skillset’s list of industry-approved games courses is limited to a handful – it’s still a work in progress, with several good courses still to be added. But it should become a handy and comprehensive guide. Check out www.skillset.org/games/accreditation. You can email Skillset for advice about careers in the games industry, or call their career helpline on 0808 100 8094. |