video game students have a hard time…

Studying a video games related course? Then you must be pretty excited about the prospects of having a career that revolves around one of your hobbies, right? Well, you should be, but there is a constant whisper through the fog that suggests what you’re doing is completely irrelevant and wont help in your search to ‘break into’ the games industry. Oh dear.

Recently graduated from a video games related course? Then I’d probably guess that, unless you are one of the lucky few, you’re pretty lost and bemused right now.

The stories of how worthwhile game design courses are pops up every 6 months or so, with studio heads claiming that students don’t graduate with the necessary skills and it costs too much to train them up. To be honest, they are probably right, but if you’re on a games related course then you should really be making the most of the time that you have. You need to make sure you’re in a good position come graduation, because that’s really when the hard stuff starts.

The industry, and the mainstream industry in particular, likes to employ ‘specialists’. If you’re not REALLY good at a particular thing, then you’ve not got much of a chance of getting employed in that area. If you’re looking to be an artist or a composer then I’d suggest taking a course that focuses specifically in those areas.

However, general game design courses aren’t all bad, they do give you the opportunity to learn a whole host of skills that you can either put to use to create your own content, or provide you with an opportunity to make a decision on what area of the industry you want to focus on.

There is also an alternative to the ‘mainstream’ industry. Small indie start up studios are always looking for individuals that are multi-talented. There’s no black and white answer to whether or not your course is irrelevant, it’s all down to how you choose to spend your time.

I spent three years at London’s South Bank University, studying the Game Cultures course, and since graduating I’ve also been a member of the teaching staff. The one thing that was blatantly obvious from both sides of the fence is that a lot of the students don’t understand how much work they actually have to put in.

So, whilst there’s a million things that could be said to help any current or prospective student, here are some of things that helped me through it…

Read your unit guide and assessment criteria

So many students ignore this. For the first few sessions they seem to be idly dream of the amazingly beautiful games that they will create in the next 12 weeks, preparing their Bafta acceptance speeches, and boasting about their 1337 Halo skillz…When in reality, if you don’t have a good grasp of what you’re actually going to be marked on, and when it needs to be finished, you’re going to struggle to pass.

Once you understand what this particular unit is asking for, design something for it. If you’ve got an idea you’re desperate to do, but it doesn’t quite fit the unit, then don’t do it, save it for later.

Preparation is key

Arguably the most important part of the development is pre-production. You need to make sure that everything that you are intending to create is written down and that you understand it. Why? So that you know what you need to do. It also helps to solidify an idea, meaning that most of the important areas will be covered. Buy a notepad and pen and stick it in your stylish satchel.

Start writing down what your basic idea is. Then try to look at what control mechanics are required. Once you start thinking about the environment you’ll understand what 3d models are needed. Then you need to think about the textures…and don’t forget sound.

There’s SO much stuff that needs to go into creating your work that writing it down is actually quite a daunting process, but it really helps you understand how hard you need to work.

Stick to your goals

Once you’re into the swing of developing your ideas you need to regularly remind yourself of what you’re trying to achieve. Focus on the core goals of the project and what the ultimate goal is, and make sure you achieve them. If you’ve done a good job in the pre-production and design stage, then you will already know that your project is fleshed out enough, so all you’ve got to do is get it all working.

Starting to design extra mechanics/features during the development stage can really affect your work. Not only could it unbalance what you’ve designed, but it can also waste a lot of time. We all know that coming up with new ideas is exciting, and it’s very exciting to start developing them to see if they work, but the best thing to do is to write it down in as much detail as possible and shelve it for another project.

Talk to others

Talk to other people about your ideas and try and get them to give honest opinions about your work. If you’re asking fellow game design students about what they think, they are usually more than happy to tell you how they would have done it better, so why not listen to what they have to say.

Similarly you should be offering your opinions on other people’s work. Don’t just say you think an idea is bad, but instead focus on the positives and suggest how these could be complimented to improve the overall idea.

You also need to be accepting that not everyone will agree with your opinions, but never take it to heart. Also don’t try to take the moral high ground and hope for a ‘I told you so’ moment…it’s just not nice.

Don’t be afraid to stand up and present your work

One thing I never understood is why people don’t like to stand up and talk about their work. Especially those that are producing work to a high standard. Being able to confidently stand in front of a room of people and articulate your ideas is a great skill.
If I hadn’t of been open to talking about my work then I wouldn’t have been on the front page of the LSBU website, which wouldn’t have contributed to a greater web presence, which wouldn’t have led to my work on the Nissan Leaf project. Standing in front of people might seem a little pointless sometimes, but it can really pay off in the long run.

In order to make the whole process easier you need to be prepared. Presentations should never be left to the last minute and you should start thinking about them at least a week before. Practice what you’re going to say and always focus on the positives of your work. I’ve seen quite a few presentations where students mentioned the things that they didn’t get a chance to put in and all it does it make them look like they weren’t prepared enough.

Post Graduation

Once you’ve graduated you’ll realise that all the talk of a ‘competitive marketplace’ for jobs was grossly under estimated. Everyone that you studied with will be applying for the same jobs as you will..and so will everyone else at all the other universities.

What you need to remember is that there will be a lot of self proclaimed ‘game designers’ out there (I’m one of them), so you’ll need to show that you’re one step ahead of everyone else.

Here’s some of the most important things I’ve learnt over the last 9 months…hopefully you’ll find them useful.

Make small projects that showcase your skills.

Make as much stuff as you can. I’ll be honest and say that in the past I’ve attempted projects that were too large for one person to realistically achieve. Starlings, in it’s initial conception wasn’t too large, I actually spent a lot of time making sure that it was a good balance. The problem was that when I was close to completing the original prototype build I tried to add a lot of extra stuff. I didn’t take the same approach to designing these new ideas, and they were too ambitious. I regretted this period as it took a lot of time to realise that whilst I wanted to develop the new ideas, it would be more beneficial to actually focus on smaller projects.

One of the best bits of advice I’ve received was from Neil Holmes from Blitz1Up. He said that many people attempt projects, but very few actually finish them, which is the most important thing. To be able to show that you can conceive and complete an idea is actually hugely beneficial.

Have a quick think back to all of those people applying for jobs with their generic game design graduate CVs…If you can link potential employers to playable content that you’ve created then you’re going to be ahead of a lot of those.

You’re going to need to learn how to program

The moment I realised this I nearly cried. It wasn’t through the sheer terror of knowing I’d have to be one of ‘those’ guys, but because I couldn’t believe I didn’t realise this sooner.

Anyone on your course will say that they are a game designer, but very few will be programmers. If you’re a passionate designer and want to get your ideas working on screen, then the best thing to do is to do it yourself.

You don’t need to learn to be the world’s best programmer, you just need to learn how to use an engine to prototype your ideas. Start following tutorials online and creating little games based around traditional mechanics and go from there. Once you get the hang of things you’ll feel like your really in control of your own work…

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

One thing I’ve noticed is that students and individuals are taking themselves too seriously. For some reason students are spending more time coming up with fictional company names to attach to their work. I really don’t support this idea, as it actually removes you from your work.

Another reason is that it actually makes you less ‘available’. If you’re putting yourself as an individual out into the marketplace, talking up your talents and portfolio, but all of your work has a ‘company’ name on it, then who actually did the work? Potential employers could be turned off hiring you based on the fact that you already look like your involved in your own business projects and wouldn’t necessarily need a job.

If you’re making games, then put your name on it instead of some imaginary company, and make it easy for people to find you if they like it. The more things you have your name attached to the bigger online presence you’re going to have, making you easier to find.

Get involved

Networking really helps, it’s the same with any career…Sometimes it’s more about who you know rather than what you know. Obviously you’re still going to have to be pretty good at what you do, but knowing people always helps.

Get involved with development communities, either on the web or IN REAL LIFE. Bafta host some great game industry events that are always excellent opportunities to meet industry contacts. Twitter is a brilliant way of finding people of similar interests, as well as just doing a good ol’ google search.

If you find someone who you find particularly interesting, or someone that provided a tutorial that you really liked, then give them an email and let them know…follow them on twitter. Just start making friends.

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Hopefully you’ll find some of this useful….

If you’ve got anything to add to this post then feel free to comment. Whether you agree or disagree I’d love to know what you think….