The Game Industry visual effects (VFX), management, music, art, Course leaders will also want to see evidence command around £55,000 whilst entry-level 2D or 3D; or have a wider skill set that includes and design. of your interest prior to admitting you onto a positions like Quality Assurance Technicians are design and animation. The video game industry includes the design, development, marketing, and degree course or apprenticeship; so don’t wait paid an average of £14,000. 14% of employees entered the industry through Experience is an important step in starting sales of video games and interactive experiences across all digital platforms to start building your skills and networks. vocational or alternative non-degree routes but Choose a game industry career that you will your career; read trade magazines, enter from arcade machines to computers, home and handheld consoles, mobiles less than 1% entered industry as an apprentice. love and that is well suited to your skills competitions, attend events, and join forums. and tablets, along with new technologies like virtual reality (VR). Video Game industry apprenticeships are currently Game Industry Skills and Jobs because you will most likely be working long Being part of a creative community will help you games are one of the UK’s most important creative industries worth over in development and are likely to become The skills needed to work in the game industry hours (average 44 hours pw); doing something to find opportunities to gain experience and to £4 billion in annual consumer spend. increasingly popular with employers. are broad and varied, with large and small that you will enjoy and can stay focused on is develop and showcase your skills crucial. The better you become at whatever you (try hiive.co.uk). The course you choose will need to be industry development studios needing different skills to do, the greater your earning potential will be. UK Game Industry Who Works in Games? relevant. Creative Skillset’s ‘Tick’ recognises publishers or distributors. Be enterprising. You could get a customer The UK game industry dates back to the 1970s It is estimated that 30,000 people work in the university courses that have demonstrated their instead of getting a job. There are lots of ways In general, the smaller the studio the broader Getting Started in the Industry when home computers were first introduced; UK game industry across roles in development, relevance to industry (www.creativeskillset.org/ the set of skills that you will need because to use your skills as a freelancer, sole trader or since then is has grown into a multi-billion publishing and retail; approximately 5,000 courses); but whichever route you are planning employees often fulfil a range of jobs which Most game jobs have several levels of seniority, start-up; so don’t overlook setting up pound sector that is one of the fastest growing people are employed in the mobile app to follow, look into the destinations of other might include design, programming, or even for example, programming roles may include: by yourself. in the UK economy, growing by 7% each year. development sector alone. students who have taken that route before (sites production. The more responsibilities a single • junior programmer (entry level) like Linked-In or hiive.co.uk can help). If those More than 33 million people play video games The game industry has the youngest workforce person has, the broader the set of skills, • programmer you are following are employed in the kind of in the UK, with 57% of us engaging in some in the creative media sector with 68% of knowledge, and experience they require, but jobs that interest you, then you are probably on • senior programmer way. Girls are just as keen to play as boys with employees under 35 years (79% for women), also the more scope they will have to develop the right track. • principal programmer (technical) 86% more than 43% of players being female. The compared with 35% of the UK workforce as new skills and impact on the game as a whole. • lead programmer (scheduling/production) growth of mobile applications (apps) and new a whole. In a larger game development company, job Of workforce technologies like VR, have increased the range There is also a wide range of specialisms within The sector is increasingly diverse with 29% roles tend to be more specific like 3D Artist, each field like character, environment, and have degrees and popularity of games worldwide. of current Higher Education games course £34,000 Shading, or Animation. Employers will want you texturing artists who may specialise further in students being female and 22% from a BAME Average to excel at something that they really need done Where is the UK Game Industry? background. well, so don’t spread your skills too broadly and The video game industry is flourishing across the Income keep developing your main areas of expertise. In 2014 permanent staff accounted for 84% of Looking for Further Advice? UK with around 2,000 companies engaged in ££ Roles in business management, publishing, jobs, with freelancing lower than in any other development, publishing, and distribution. 95% creative media sector just at 16%. and distribution require administration, legal, If the game industry sounds like the perfect career for you, there is a lot more information of companies are micro or small businesses with Develop Yourself finance, marketing, and sales skills in place online, these websites are a great place to start: 50 or less employees. of the technical and artistic skills demanded Getting Qualified & Choosing the Whichever route you choose to follow, Creative Skillset, the creative industries skills body & Tick accreditation: in development. Game companies are rarely More than half of the UK game industry Right Course developing your skills, experiences, and http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games (54%) is located in London and the South networks will be just as important as gaining conventional corporate workplaces, so they can East, but the Midlands, North of England and The game industry has a highly qualified qualifications. be a great place to grow your career, no matter BAFTA Games Guru website: http://guru.bafta.org/skills/games Scotland are also major centres, and there are workforce with 86% holding a degree. Of these what interests or expertise you may have. Game designers, artists, and programmers UKIE – The UK Interactive Entertainment trade body: www.ukie.org.uk also high concentrations (20+ companies) in 49% hold a creative media related degree and @iamdavegray can start honing their skills from an early age Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff, Surrey, Liverpool, 29% hold a post-graduate qualification. through the wide availability of free industry- What do Game Employees Earn? TIGA – The Interactive Games Association: www.tiga.org Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield, and Warwickshire. More than 60 UK universities/colleges provide standard software like the Unity and Unreal The average pay across the game industry is NextGen – The NextGen Skills Academy, courses and apprenticeships: Thanks to: Alex Darby and Marcia Deakin undergraduate video game courses (+40 game engines. These enable you to develop and at just over £34,000, however, there are wide www.nextgenskillsacademy.com Commissioned by Yen Yau. Funded by the Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund, as part of A Bigger Future masters level courses), with more than 3,000 share your creations through forums, blogs and variations depending on job role and level of 2, a response to the Next Gen Report (a review of the skills needs of the UK’s video games and visual 30,000 students studying game related courses video sharing sites. seniority. Lead programmers regularly earn Game Dev Map, shows games development companies around the world effects industries). each year. above £50,000, those leading design, art or and whether they are hiring: http://www.gamedevmap.com All employers will want to see a portfolio of Employed in animation earn an average of £36,000, and Skills Fusion is a VFX careers outreach programme funded by the Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund Other qualifications common in the game your work or examples of code that you have London Creative Edge, free software list: www.theedge.london/resources senior producers can earn in excess of £50,000. Statistics courtesy of Creative Skillset and UKIE this sector industry include computer programming/ written in addition to your qualifications. computer science, physics, maths, animation, Specialist roles like audio programming Follow us on Twitter: @intofilm_edu & @getintofilm Original concept © 2016 Ian Murphy and Allan Burrell. Additional design by Dave Gray. All rights reserved.

ART Animator PRODUCTION CAREERS IN Artificial Intelligence Programmer (AI) QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA) User Experience (UX) and Concept Artist Breathes life into creatures and objects Game Producer AI describes any action taken by a computer User Interface (UI) Designer Uses traditional and digital art skills, like (created by 3D/2D artists), so they move and Unlike film, theatre and TV, the role of game which appears intelligent, and is most QA Technician drawing and painting, to bring different behave realistically, and with personality, to UX designers plan what a game producer does not typically have a creative commonly used to allow computer controlled Despite popular belief, QA technicians don’t aspects of a game idea to life so that other become a believable part of the game world. communicates with the player to ensure ease component. Producers are responsible for characters to make believable decisions. just get paid to play games all day. QA team members have something to work Animators work with artists and programmers of use and player enjoyment. UX designers making sure that projects get delivered on They usually work closely with gameplay technicians test specific aspects of a game, from. Concept artists work at the beginning to balance movement and performance on prevent players getting frustrated by ensuring time and on budget. This involves a lot of programmers and share many of the same write detailed reports on each bug they find, of the process to visualise initial ideas and each platform. Game animation is often a that the game is giving the necessary process management to ensure that all the skills, since many genres of game rely heavily and then re-test when the development team THE GAMES INDUSTRY complicated combination of different types feedback effectively and clearly. UX designers throughout the design process, to help has fixed it. QA technicians need great game different streams of work are broken down in of movement so animators make extensive on AI behaviour for their core gameplay. This use evidence from user feedback and play- generate the style and overall look of a game. stamina as they may play the same part of detail, allocated, estimated, scheduled, and libraries of reusable movements for means that AI programmers tend to work on a tests to continually improve the UX. Where art and technology collide a game over and over again. An entry-level then tracked against completion. Producers each character. game from start to finish. 3D Modelling Artist position often seen as a way into the game The User Interface (UI) is how the UX ensure that the project runs smoothly and that no time or money is wasted. Producers Creates 3D objects such as characters or Tools Engineer industry but further training may be needed to information will be communicated and is vehicles using digital modelling and sculpture Graphics Programmer are great communicators who are highly Are responsible for creating and maintaining progress to other design or development jobs. the point at which the game and the players software like Maya, Modo or ZBrush. Specialists who typically work across both the organised and good with people. the software to support the smooth running interact. UI Designers create the look and Modellers translate concept art into 3D Engine and Game teams. They work closely of a game’s development by enabling Build Engineer characteristics of the heads-up-display (score, models that meet the technical constraints with the art team to ensure the real time Associate Producer designers, artists and programmers to do their Keeps the development process moving by lives, levels etc), menus and commands that (poly count, texture, sizes etc.), required by rendering of the game meets the game’s When a project is too big for one producer jobs efficiently. Some studios use externally testing code and ensuring there is always relay information efficiently and clearly to the current game. intended art style as closely as possible; often then additional production staff will be developed engines such as Unity or Unreal, a current, de-bugged, version of the game the players. requiring a combination of low level engine needed, typically these people are known but others develop their own to meet the available. Tests the consistency and validity Environment Artist code and Shaders to achieve the as Associate Producers. The producer will needs of their particular game. Typically, Tools of the game builds, supports workflow, and Narrative Designer / Writer desired results. delegate the day-to-day management of Brings game worlds to life by creating Engineers work with the entire team to find improves testing and release tools. Most video games have a story with a schedules and data gathering for some parts immersive, believable places for games to the most efficient ways to get data and assets protagonist (main player) and one or more be played in. EAs need to understand spatial antagonists (opponents). Narrative Designers of the project to each associate producer into the game. DESIGN relationships, apply graphic design principles PROGRAMMING create the story and structure of a game i.e. and they will report to the producer and communicate with each other to run the in 3D, have an excellent understanding of Audio Programmer Lead Designer/Creative Director who the characters are, how they interact, colour and light, as well as knowledge of Engine Programmer project effectively as a team. Works closely with designers, sound engineers Imaginative and creative leaders who are what the overarching plot is etc. Narrative technical processes like image compression, Engine Programmers create the game and composers to realise the audio design responsible for the game’s overall vision. design is often undertaken by professional batching, and poly-count. engine that forms the technological core of Publisher vision of a game, often developing tools They work collaboratively with other writers who are able to write the narrative the game including subsystems like input, Game publishers typically provide the to facilitate this. Games typically require team members to create the story, setting, and script the dialogue. Special Effects Artist (SFX) animation, asset management, and the finance for a studio to develop a game and reactive audio responding to the player’s characters and play dynamics of a game. Lead hardware abstraction layer. This role typically for the game to be brought to market. This Creates anything that moves that isn’t a actions, the environment in which the game Designers need to clearly communicate ideas Sound Designer involves a low level mastery of C/C++ and a can be a very expensive involving building character or object such as water, dust, is set, and to gameplay significant events. to the development team and often play a Creates sound effects that enhance and detailed understanding of game development a brand, manufacturing, distribution, explosions or even superpowers. SFX artists Audio programmers are specialists, often role in the production process, by pitching respond to gameplay such as cheering, hardware. marketing and sales. Games are increasingly use digital art software, alongside traditional musicians and/or with backgrounds in audio ideas to publishers. gunshots or weather effects. Most sound sold as downloadable content (DLC) with visual art concepts, to create realistic effects engineering. design requires deep knowledge of ‘real-time Gameplay Programmer marketplaces like app stores, console stores both stunning like a tornado, and subtle like Gameplay Designer dynamic playback systems’ that react to slow moving clouds. Writes the majority of code that controls the and Steam reducing the cost and difficulty Network Programmer Devises the actions, abilities and mechanics of the player’s behaviour, the current state of player’s interaction with the game to make of publishing so that an increasing number Develops the complex game code and servers gameplay, works with the lead designer, plans the game, and to a myriad of other context Texturing Artist it enjoyable to play. This requires a good of studios are choosing to self publish. Jobs behind online multiplayer games and have and defines the rules, modes of play and how dependent inputs. Sound design requires a lot understanding of design, and experience in publishing are attractive to those with Creates surface detail and colour on assets responsibility for the transmission of data to characters will respond. Like writing the rules of collaboration with audio programmers and in creating interactive systems. Gameplay entrepreneurial, marketing, and sales skills. like floors and objects through a combination and from other machines, connected to the of a very complicated boardgame, this might sometimes the roles are combined. programmers need to be resilient, as the of hand painted, digital, and 3D art. Texturing hardware running the game. This is one of the include how high and how far a character game will often change during development Product Manager / Brand Manager Artists are highly skilled at adding surface most complex areas of game programming can jump, how long it takes to accelerate to Music Composer and the code they write may be discarded imperfections that give computer models the as they not only need to have an excellent maximum speed, or when you can gain points. Designs, composes and performs music to Product Managers work for the game studio, along the way. messy sophistication of the real world (rust, understanding of game programming, but They also design how these systems and fit various stages of game play from the marketing companies or a game publisher scuffs etc.). Texturing Artists have expert also of network protocols and client/server mechanics evolve over the course of the game game’s theme tune and underscore, to to create and deliver marketing campaigns Physics Programmer knowledge of colour, lighting, perspective, architectures. as the player progresses through it. incidental music signalling approaching peril to maximise the sales of a game. Part of and materials. Creates software that forms the basis of the or celebrating the end of a stage, along with a marketing team, they define the market game’s simulated world, handling interactions position, develop a launch plan, lead the Generalist and Other Programming Roles motifs for specific characters, announcing ARTISTIC & TECHNICAL we take for granted such as collisions and Level Designer their arrival or a changed state of play. design of product packaging and marketing Whilst each role demands specific knowledge Creates situations that give the player Technical Artist movement. Physics programming is a highly Game music composers need to be familiar materials, and help to organise national or specialist area so many companies use physics and skills, all programmers can program interesting problems to solve within the global advertising campaigns. Acts as a bridge between artists and which means that in principle they are not with popular digital recording software like middleware rather than writing the code constraints of the game’s systems, and Logic or Protools, and will need to be able to programmers to ensure the visual aspects constrained to any specific role and in fact, Product Managers work closely with Brand themselves. Creating complex simulations (i.e. mechanics devised by the Gameplay Designer. compose original music from scratch. Music of a game (assets), like characters, scenery some roles exist where breadth is required Managers, who are responsible for developing vehicle handling, fluid or particles), requires E.g. in a platform game, the level designer composers usually hold a music degree and and objects, work effectively within the such as Research and Development (R&D) long-term plans for individual game franchises programmers with an excellent understanding would create the specific layout of various often work on a freelance basis. technical limits of the platform being or Framework Programmers. A team with kinds of blocks and enemies in each level to and provide a strategic overview of how a designed for. TAs work with programmers of physics and maths to achieve the effects required. breadth of experience across roles enables present a new challenge that the player can game brand should change over time. to solve technical problems associated with a project’s development to be more agile overcome. the visual characteristics of a game. TAs may and in particular, is very desirable in smaller Other production roles include data analysts, also undertake complex art or rigging duties, companies. localisation managers and community depending upon the size of the studio. managers.

GAMES INDUSTRY CAREER MAP @iamdavegray