Games development

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The UK is a leader in games development, creating commercially successful, challenging and varied games for a wide range of people to enjoy. Many large players have their studios in the UK (Microsoft Studios, Sony, Rockstar and Disney), but there are numerous small players as well.

Within the sector there are very distinct disciplines that work together to take games from initial concept through to the final product. These include programmers, musicians, artists and animators. In each discipline there are many specialists, for example, concept artists, graphics programmers and production engineers.

Be prepared for revolutionary developments… and crunch points

The industry regularly releases exciting news and leads the world in technology innovation. Microsoft created a buzz announcing Kinect, its full-body, motion-sensitive controller that will allow Xbox users to control games and other media without touching anything. But developments like this will extend into other applications beyond the games industry, revolutionising how we all interact with technology. The industry is also focusing on games for mobile devices as this is a large and low-risk market to capture.

Within the sector, working life is moderately paced but there are ‘crunch’ points near to product completion. The workload becomes intense but it is also engrossing: you want to get your creation to the people. Teams bring together creatives and scientists: animators and artists work alongside programmers to make sure a character moves realistically or to render a particular light effect in a scene.

Essential skills for graduate careers in games development

You don’t have to be a computer scientist to be a programmer: clever candidates from physics, mathematics and engineering backgrounds also do well. Whatever your background you need good core programming skills and an understanding of how code controls hardware. Ideally, your interest in programming applications should extend beyond your coursework. Good interpersonal, presentation and documentation skills will make you stand out.

Applying for graduate jobs in the computer games industry

The games industry has always been competitive to get into. The tough economic climate has collided with increasing games production costs, which has knocked the industry more than would be typical in a downturn. However, in recent years more employers have been taking on graduates, so entry-level positions are still available. The industry is moving towards a model where short-term contracts are more commonplace: this can be a good way to break into the industry.

Graduates typically start out as junior programmers working within a group, learning from the industry veterans around them. It is then normal to develop specialist skills, for example game programming or graphics programming. In five years, you could lead an area of speciality, or take a lead production role.

Choose this IT career area if…

• You want daily variety: you’ll marvel at a complex formula one moment and be awestruck by an artistic creation the next.
• You want to work with a diverse range of people: creatives, scientists and engineers.
• You want to create a product that the world will enjoy, from start to finish.

About the author

Salvatore Fileccia is group program manager for Rare Limited (Microsoft Studios). He has a degree in computer science from Glasgow University and has worked in the games industry for 13 years.