The way we work at Essex, we have a common first year for all students wanting to study one of: computer games, software engineering, artificial intelligence, networks, security and straight computer science. Right now it's this way partly because we want to give all of our students a solid grounding across the board, and partly as a form of insurance so that those students who like computers but are unsure as to which direction they want their career to go have an extra year to make their decision.

Here are some stereotypes of people I interview who don't make the cut:

1. The enthusiastic but dim

They have this great idea for a computer game which actually isn't all that great and there's only one of it. Ask them to suggest how a game about something random might work out - penguins and machine guns, say - and they're stumped. However, they're enthusiastically stumped...

2. The "how hard can it be?"

This is usually a local student looking for a degree at a local university. The student only wants a degree, and they don't care what in. They choose computer games because "how hard can it be?" I tell them.

3. The inveterate player

The inveterate player believes that because they spend every waking moment playing computer games, they should do a degree in it. They're good at playing games, so they'll be good at making them! This is like saying that you'd make a good brewer because you like beer, or that you'd make a good singer because you like music. It doesn't necessarily follow.

4. The back-up

I can't tell you how excited I am when I read a personal statement extolling the virtues of physics or mathematics. I can't tell you, because I'm very unexcited by it... It means that the student has applied to some prestigious Russell Group university to do something else, but is using you as a backup. We do generally accept these people, as they usually do have the ability to do well; they often lack the enthusiasm to do well, though.

5. The wrong career move

Quite often, we get applications from mature students who have had half a career already (eg. in the army) and they're looking for a fresh challenge. Computer games are up and coming, and their research has shown that this is where they can carve out a second career. OK, so they CAN do this, but they really need to be sure it's what they want to do. The pay isn't great, it's hard to get a job once you have the qualification, and it's going to cost them £10,000 in fees. Do they still want to do it? We'll happily take them if they do (they're usually very hard working and will do well), but they might be better off going for an MSc somewhere instead.

6. The sadly deluded

These are people who have no idea that they are unsuitable not only for a degree in computer games, but for a degree in anything else. Personal statements written entirely in lower case do not impress (even profound dyslexics know to capitalise the word "I"). Getting the name of the university wrong does not impress. Stinking my office out with smoke ingrained in their 20-year-old leather jacket does not impress. Exuding confidence does impress, but only when you have something about which to be confident.

Essex University is strongly in favour of education, rather than training. Some people just want training, in which case we're probably not for them, and it would be unfair to trick them into coming here by promising them that's what they'd get. We don't want to fill your head with liquid knowledge, we want to throw fuel on the fire of your own, burning interests.


Richard A. Bartle is a visiting professor and principal fellow in the Department of Computer and Engineering Science at Essex Univeristy. He is also the co-author of the world’s first MUD, which is also known as the oldest virtual world in existence.