Have you noticed an upswing in candidates applying abroad?

Eamonn Mgherbi: Yes, but only at an experienced level. The primary attracting factors are the life-changing locations that can be offered by particular territories with a developed games industry such as Canada, and the number of equally compelling triple-A IPs being developed overseas. This is not the same for entry-level candidates, however, as the difficulty will always be in securing a visa or green card for positions abroad. Our advice is to investigate all of the openings within Europe as a starting point.

The UK is a top-five global development community producing quality games to rival those from overseas, and it’s an excellent place to develop a set of skills that could lead to a move overseas in the future.




Are universities better preparing their candidates for industry positions today?

Peter Leonard: It’s true that many game-specific courses haven’t always given graduates the best start, possibly due to course syllabuses that were either too generic in terms of game development training, or didn’t provide enough focus on foundation knowledge and skills for the sector involved. The good news is that many universities are well aware of this and most are already changing structure to focus on specific areas of development, as well as improving the quality of the content. Some are also listening to studios and advising some graduates to concentrate on obtaining a respected traditional degree such as Computer Science, then build game-specific skill sets on top in the form of a masters qualification.

More universities have formed closer working relationships with local or national studios in the UK, which is a good way of ensuring that graduates have a chance to demonstrate their skills to key industry employers. Our advice would always be to register the CV and demo work from your course, together with any hobbyist work, with a recruitment agency who can offer advice and structure your applications.

What’s the most fatal assumption that candidates make?

PL: It’s always that ‘my degree will guarantee me a job in the games sector’. No matter how detailed the course content, a degree on its own does not guarantee success. All studios that are graduate recruiters look for a demo of your work or a portfolio, whether it be a small C++ demo showing off your DirectX understanding as a programmer, or a selection of character models, concepted and finalised in 3D Studio Max or Maya. They’re even more important than your degree, so they need to be your best examples.

Demos and portfolios prove your ability to apply the knowledge you have learnt and meet the demands of a given vacancy. They’re also a statement to a potential employer that you have the initiative to produce relevant, high-quality samples of work. This gives the impression of a particular attitude and work ethic they’ll be attracted to.

Have hours and work conditions within the industry improved?

SS: They’ve generally improved, though it’s a long-term process and many studios are still trying to find the magic formula. Many larger and more global companies have the financial reserves and organisational infrastructure to incorporate policies such as holidays ‘in lieu’, flexitime, overtime payments and more to assist their teams and personnel.

That’s more challenging for smaller studios, but they’re equally scaling back their projects to suit the teams they have in place. Studios large and small are choosing alternative methods by which to manage their projects, which they feel allow for more flexibility and provide a much better marriage of creative goal achievement and managing milestones, which in turn directly affects the amount of hours worked.

It’s is a highly demanding and creative industry, however, and a certain element of crunch should always be expected. How a studio limits the gravity of such periods and what’s offered in return is what candidates should always consider when choosing their next employer.