There is a wide variety of jobs available in the games industry following a degree in game development such as game developer, game programmer, UI and graphic programmer. There is also the ability to go into sound, animation and design making the industry large with multiple jobs available. This paper aims to compare and explore possible jobs in the industry and what each role contains and how to obtain them.
One job role obtainable within the game industry is a user interface programmer. A UI programmer is involved in the production of the interface used in the game. This is done by producing code that will enable navigation around the game’s menu with the player in mind. The UI programmer will have to work with multiple departments like sound and art to apply different features in the game. An example would be the resolution setting allowing the player to adjust the resolution to different sizes (Get in Media, 2020). There are multiple types of UI, such as diegetic, non-diegetic, spatial and meta. A diegetic UI exists in the game world where the characters in the game are aware of it. It enables the characters to interact with maps and inventories during gameplay (Packt, n.d.). A non-diegetic UI is purely for the player to view and the characters within the game are not aware of its presence. Non-diegetic is implemented in nearly every game with an example being the character's health or ammo (Andrews, n.d.). A spatial UI element is presented in the games 3D space with or without being an entity of the game world (Andrews, n.d.). An example of a spatial UI is the arrows that appear above the head of the enemies in Zelda which indicate which enemy Zelda will attack (Packt, n.d.). A meta UI is an interface that the game character is aware of but is not physically displayed within the scene. This interface can allow the character to interact with items in the game such as a cell phone (Packt, n.d.). To get a UI job within the industry the applicant will have to meet the company’s set out requirements. Splash Damage (2020) is currently advertising a UI programmer job that requires the applicant to have a good knowledge of C++ with previous professional experience. The applicant will also need good communication and organization skills so they can present ideas confidently and clearly to the audience of all experience levels. They must have a can to do attitude and a love of collaborating with other team members to implement systems. The applicant must also have solid time management and organizational skills this will help the applicant to get the job done without close supervision. And finally, the applicant should have a real passion for UI and playing games as well as a desire to learn and grow within the role. Whereas for a job with OPM Recruitment the applicant will need a more leadership set of skills. However, the roles are quite similar, the applicant must be knowledgeable in C++ and scripts, have had experience working on shipped titles. Both roles require the applicant to have good communication skills as the jobs require talking to other team members and different departments. OPM Recruitment are advertising a lead/ senior UI programmer. This will require the applicant to have provided leadership, support and add direction to a UI programming team. The applicant will have had to work closely with the UI artists and designers to implement, modify and debug UI features both in C++ and scripts. In addition, the applicant will have had hands-on experience with profiling and optimizing UI performance and troubleshoot UI issues. Some other required skills would be having experience with multi-platforms and have worked on a minimum of 3 shipped titles.
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Another job in the industry is a game developer. They are involved in the creation and production of games on different consoles for example PC, mobile and consoles. Some skills required to get into a game developer job is having a range of programming skills and have experience working with multiple software. Another skill required is to be able to deliver and develop systems to a high standard while using programming codes such as C++ or C# (Prospects, 2020). Bossa Studios (2020) are advertising a senior game developer on their website. For the applicant to obtain this job they will have to meet the requirements but also have had some experience within the game industry. The applicant must be able to improve through honest feedback from peers and the community as well as believe that the best way is not written in stone and that better change is welcomed. Also, the applicant should have experience with delivering code for games, having shipped multiple complete titles. They must be focused but be adaptable and flexible to change within a fast-paced environment. Finally, the applicant should have experience using C# in Unity to make games and have proven expertise in multiple game development areas like gameplay, animation, and optimization. The job on Bossa Studios (2020) is different from the job on Ubisoft (2020). The main difference between these jobs for the applicant to take note of it that they use different programming languages. There are more requirements for the applicant to pass when applying for the Ubisoft (2020) job. The Bossa Studios (2020) job requires the applicant to have worked longer in the game industry meaning they will have obtained more experience. Ubisoft (2020) are advertising a C++ game developer job on their website. When the applicant applies for this job, they will have more requirements to meet. The applicant should have advanced C++ programming knowledge as well as being able to write optimized code with the ability to program on multiple platforms. They must have experience writing code in a multi-CPU environment with the ability to analyze complex code and find solutions. Finally, the applicant should have a high attention to detail and have a desire to get things done.
The last job I will talk about is an AI (artificial intelligence) programmer. The AI programmer is responsible for creating code that allows non-player characters (NPC) to move around or interact with the player. To do this the programmer will create algorithms that allow the NPCs to path find their way around the level or to the player. The programmer will also use a state machine to tell the NPC what its next step will be. They are responsible for how the NPCs behavior. Rockstar (2020) are advertising an AI programming job on their website. The applicant should have a degree in computer science or equivalent as well as have at least 3 years of games programming experience. In those 3 years of experience, the applicant should have worked with animation and animation trees. They must have a solid C++ understanding combined with a strong mathematical knowledge of vectors, matrices, and linear algebra. Finally, they must have worked with different departments to deliver features on schedule. Both the jobs are the same, just that Rockstar (2020) is more demanding in the experience and academic background. They both require the applicant to have good communication skills and strong math skills. They both require the applicant to have the ability to work in a team and with other departments. Sega (2020) are advertising an AI programming job on their website. The applicants who apply for this job must be able to collaborate with coders, designers, and QA testers. They must have a strong academic background with the ability to focus on the work at hand independently but also be comfortable collaborating with other team members. Finally, the applicant should have good creative problem-solving skills combined with good communication skills.
A good start for the applicant to begin applying for jobs is by creating documents like a CV, resume and cover letter. These documents will allow the recruiter to get an understanding of the applicant’s skill level and what programs and languages you have previously programmed. The cover letter will give them an insight into why the applicant chose the company, what they want from it and previous experience (Reed, 2020). Both resume and CV documents are similar by both containing professional history, education, skills, and achievements. A resume is a short form of document that provides an overview of your previous roles and skills. The CV is usually a longer document that focuses largely on academic coursework and research (The Muse, 2020). The CV is submitted in conjunction with a cover letter to a job via a form or application process. These documents both allow the recruiter to judge the applicant in line with their person specification and the company needs to see if the applicant would be a good fit in the team. If the applicant meets the requirement, they will move onto the next process which would be a face-to-face interview or phone interview followed by a test. A CV is used to apply for jobs in the game industry. The first thing on a CV page should be the applicant's contact information so the recruiter knows who they are looking at. The contact information can also display websites, portfolios, and LinkedIn accounts. The education history of the applicant should also be included with the most two recent being displayed. This should be followed by work experience obtained and the hobbies and interests of the participant. Hobbies can give the recruiter something to break the ice during an interview and help them to get to know the applicant better (Cheary, n.d.). The skills of the applicant should be displayed on a CV to suit the job role they are applying to (Indeed, 2020). This will show the recruiter what the applicant knows and what their strengths and weakness are. The skills should display both soft and hard skills. Soft skills are traits such as good team leader, good time management whereas hard skills are skills that are teachable and measurable abilities such as reading, writing, math, or the ability to use computer programs (Gerencer, 2020). A key part of creating a CV is the previous job experience the applicant has held. For this the applicant should write the company name, job title and a description of the jobs they undertook while working at the company (Indeed, 2020). It must be the most recent job the applicant has had, and this can help the recruiter to understand if they are suited to the role they have applied to.
In conclusion, there are many skills required for a game industry job, some examples would be working within a team, good communication skills, a good knowledge of programming languages within different software. By having an understanding of the different job types, it has enabled me to reflect on my current position where I have worked in different teams at university to do projects, I have communicated with different people, especially using online communication methods such as teams. I have also created a portfolio to apply for placements and I have sent my CV and resume to different companies where I have then obtained interviews during my placement applications. Creating these documents has given me the experience of how the application process works for when I graduate and has also shown me that I need further experience working with programs to increase my knowledge for when I graduate. By having a further understanding of each job role through research I have concluded that I would like to obtain the job of game developer as I believe I have some of the skills required although I need to further develop my experiences before I can obtain this job through placement in the near future. Research has also enabled me to critically reflect on my CV and to understand the difference between both a resume and a CV so I can understand exactly what the company wants from me.
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