Working in Information Technology

Business Sectors

Source: Target IT 2006, GTI Publishing

Author: Andrew Oliver, Development Director, Blitz Games Ltd.

The main aim of the games development sector is to make challenging computer games that appeal to as many people as possible. Everyone wants to push the boundaries of technology to make games better and better, so it's a very creative industry to work in. There are a good number of games companies in the UK and the industry is rapidly expanding, so the outlook for graduates is generally good at the moment.

The broad areas of games development include:

Programming - all the things that make the games work: controls, rendering and the game shell.

Design - designing the different levels of the game, the moment-to-moment game play, defining set piece moves of characters and the moments that will 'wow' game players.

Art - 3D models and animation. As consoles become more powerful, games developers seek to add more detail and definition when bringing characters and scenery to life.

Audio - creating high-quality sound effects and music. Increasingly games include Dolby surround sound as players want games to sound as good as films.

Quality Assurance (QA) - games are tested and feedback is put into the design process.

New developments

Developments in this sector are very much determined by the consoles on which games are played and when a new one comes out, the industry goes crazy. The Xbox 360 has come out, closely followed by the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo WII - the bar is being raised higher and players' expectations will be greater. The challenge is to come up with larger than life games with original concepts and the X factor that makes them stand out above the others

This also has to be done within cost constraints. Cutting-edge technology and science enables the creation of increasingly believable characters and backdrops using high quality dynamic range lighting, techniques such as rag doll physics and by putting more emphasis on facial expressions.

Skills required

The skills required depend on the vocational area into which you enter. A good computer science degree that has included programming skills such as C++ will give you most of the basics. For art and design roles, candidates typically come from multimedia degrees where they have gained experience of working with the latest graphics packages and learnt the principles of art, design and animation. Above all, employers are looking for an interest in and love of games combined with strong team working and problem-solving skills.

Starting out

A good way to enter into the industry is through testing. By playing the games and testing them, you will find out what makes them work and the essential elements of a good game.

Games are typically developed in teams, which can range in size from 20-40 people up to several hundred on a large project. Most programming teams have a management structure where you'll typically start out as a junior programmer and progress through different levels of responsibility as you gain experience.

• Games development is done in an incredibly social atmosphere. Most companies are informal in their working environment.
• There's a sense of reward when you complete a project and see a game out on the shelf.
• You get to work in a sector that's advancing very quickly.

Worst

• Crunch time - it all goes a bit crazy close to a final deadline. You work long hours trying to get the game finished and working through the night is not uncommon at this stage.
• Spending time and energy on a project that gets cancelled.

Don't bother if...

...you don't like games. Games developers need to be skillful at what they do as well as highly enthusiastic and willing to put in the effort to make something special.

Computer Games Technology

Multimedia and IT

Software Engineering

The school has pioneered the development of degree courses specifically tailored to meet the requirements of the games industry. We were the first in the UK to develop a Computer Games Technology BSc programme. This was closely followed by an MSc programme in Computer Games Technology allowing professionals already in the IT industry to cross train into this emerging sector.

We also host an annual international research conference - the Games Development and Technology Workshop allowing our students to meet and interact with game development professionals working the industry from all over the world. You will get to see the future direction of games development and be able to hit the ground running when it's your chance to make a contribution.