Position: Programmer
Worked on: Bionicle Heroes, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones
Peter graduated from Bolton University in 2005, getting a First. His lecture was about the programming side of the industry. While I’m not a programmer, I found it interesting to see how they contribute to a game, how they operate in a studio and the problems they encounter.
While his lecture was mostly about programming, he did give some very sage advice about game content. He explained that players will notice a poorly finished feature in games, but they won’t notice a missing feature. He stressed the importance of polishing existing features before adding new ones.
An unexpected part of his lecture was how to stay healthy during crunch times. He told us to expect stress and long working hours during these times, and gave us some great advice on staying positive and healthy, advice which I will surely use myself.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
David Bramhall & Vicky Rowley: Sony Evolution Studios
Position: Q&A (David) HR (Vicky)
David began the lecture with his journey through the industry; he started as a Q&A tester at Sony for the WRC series. After that, he worked on LEGO Indiana Jones at Travellers Tales before moving back to Sony and working on Motorstorm Apocalypse.
David then talked about the roles of different departments in the company, namely Artists, Designers, Animators, Producers and Q&A. Both David and Vicky explained the importance of these different departments and how they worked together to make a finished game.
Vicky continued the second half of the lecture by going over how to contact studios and what they expect to see on the application. CVs and covering letters were discussed, and how they should be built differently depending on who they were sent to.
Finally, they closed the lecture with an open questions session, which David used to hurl chocolate bars at us.
David began the lecture with his journey through the industry; he started as a Q&A tester at Sony for the WRC series. After that, he worked on LEGO Indiana Jones at Travellers Tales before moving back to Sony and working on Motorstorm Apocalypse.
David then talked about the roles of different departments in the company, namely Artists, Designers, Animators, Producers and Q&A. Both David and Vicky explained the importance of these different departments and how they worked together to make a finished game.
Vicky continued the second half of the lecture by going over how to contact studios and what they expect to see on the application. CVs and covering letters were discussed, and how they should be built differently depending on who they were sent to.
Finally, they closed the lecture with an open questions session, which David used to hurl chocolate bars at us.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Thomas Hulvershorn: I-Play, Oberon Media
Position: Lead Game Tester
Worked on: Women’s Murder Club 4, Bubble Town
Thomas’s lecture focused on the testing side of the game development process. He explained what the tester’s job is, and how they go about testing games. As Q&A is the most common first job of students leaving university, the advice and explanations he gave were very helpful.
He also talked about Facebook games and how they functioned, particularly about how they attract customers and keep them playing. I found this very interesting, as getting customers to buy your game is pretty much the reason for the industry.
Worked on: Women’s Murder Club 4, Bubble Town
Thomas’s lecture focused on the testing side of the game development process. He explained what the tester’s job is, and how they go about testing games. As Q&A is the most common first job of students leaving university, the advice and explanations he gave were very helpful.
He also talked about Facebook games and how they functioned, particularly about how they attract customers and keep them playing. I found this very interesting, as getting customers to buy your game is pretty much the reason for the industry.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Nick Rathbone: Codemasters
Position: Games Designer
Worked on: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Nick Rathbone, a University of Bolton graduate of 2008, gave us an interesting lecture on getting into the industry and what to expect from our first jobs, as well as continuing in the industry.
Nick started with an introduction of his time in the games industry. He started at Climax Studios, working on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, before moving to Codemasters UK.
Since Nick was in our position only two years ago, the advice he gave was very helpful in regards to writing our CVs and making our portfolios, and he gave examples on how to get our CVS to stand out. He also told us what to expect from interviews, how that studios may put us under pressure and give us tasks to accomplish, to see how we perform under pressure. What was most important is to research the studio, and alter my CV and cover letter to appeal to them.
Worked on: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Nick Rathbone, a University of Bolton graduate of 2008, gave us an interesting lecture on getting into the industry and what to expect from our first jobs, as well as continuing in the industry.
Nick started with an introduction of his time in the games industry. He started at Climax Studios, working on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, before moving to Codemasters UK.
Since Nick was in our position only two years ago, the advice he gave was very helpful in regards to writing our CVs and making our portfolios, and he gave examples on how to get our CVS to stand out. He also told us what to expect from interviews, how that studios may put us under pressure and give us tasks to accomplish, to see how we perform under pressure. What was most important is to research the studio, and alter my CV and cover letter to appeal to them.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Cameron Thompson: Angel’s Den
Cameron Thompson works at Angel’s Den, an online agency website that helps entrepreneurs meet up with business investors. His lecture was mainly about setting up your own business, advice on dealing with investors, getting your product/business pitch taken seriously and how to get set up financially. He also gave useful advice on talking with investors, and why you should expect ‘unusual’ questions from them.
While I don’t think I’ll ever start up my own business, Cameron gave us an interesting insight into that side of the industry.
While I don’t think I’ll ever start up my own business, Cameron gave us an interesting insight into that side of the industry.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Arthur Parsons: Traveller's Tales
Position: Experienced Games Designer
Worked on: Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex, Muppet Race Mania & LEGO Harry Potter
Arthur’s lecture was mostly about getting the first job in the industry, which was of course very helpful for us final year students. He covered the jobs and requirements for Designers, Artists, Programmers and Audio Engineers. As well as this, he gave a detailed discussion on what to include in portfolios, and some helpful tips on what to expect during interviews. He especially focused on what you shouldn’t say, and to research the company before you apply.
He made it very clear that it’s very unlikely we’ll be working on our dream game right from the off. He was very encouraging, giving good examples on where to start (especially in Q&A) and dispelling the worries of the “cut throat” industry; I got the impression that working in the industry is, while intense, fun and rewarding.
Worked on: Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex, Muppet Race Mania & LEGO Harry Potter
Arthur’s lecture was mostly about getting the first job in the industry, which was of course very helpful for us final year students. He covered the jobs and requirements for Designers, Artists, Programmers and Audio Engineers. As well as this, he gave a detailed discussion on what to include in portfolios, and some helpful tips on what to expect during interviews. He especially focused on what you shouldn’t say, and to research the company before you apply.
He made it very clear that it’s very unlikely we’ll be working on our dream game right from the off. He was very encouraging, giving good examples on where to start (especially in Q&A) and dispelling the worries of the “cut throat” industry; I got the impression that working in the industry is, while intense, fun and rewarding.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Designing the Test NPCs Part 2
The second part of designing the test NPCs can be found here. It contains considerations on our NPCs, and their finished designs.
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