Today we spoke to Joel Beardshaw, Lead Game Designer at UsTwo Games.
(UsTwo Games, 2021)
Today’s talk was about the recruitment process, making prototypes, leaving idea sketches in your portfolio and how Joel’s junior positions helped to prepare him for bigger roles. Joel emphasised how asking key questions and doing your research alongside having a well-written CV, a rounded portfolio and showing an interest in that job will give you the upper hand as a candidate. I particularly liked his discussion around key characteristics they look for in graduates. The four skills he focussed on were being a collaborative communicator, a team player, being practical and having a creative spark. These are all considered soft skills and emphasised that no matter how good your portfolio is, you must be able to work effectively in a team-based studio environment. Points I focussed on:
· Diversity – moving between studios for a better team dynamic both for more successful projects and a healthier workplace environment
· Making games accessible to new players
· Hierarchy – understanding your role and striking a balance between those with more experience and expressing your opinion
· Curiosity!
· Having a base knowledge of how games are made is essential
Joel talked us through studio work as well, saying you have to enjoy what you do and have a good understanding of the whole process to get the best results. He broke the design process down into 5 steps - Concepting, Prototyping, Pre-Production, Production and Post-Launch support, then into further tasks; brainstorming ideas (10% of the process), creating white box prototypes (15%), user testing (5%), scripting / iteration (30%), cross-discipline collab (20%) and bug-fixing (20%).
This breakdown will vary between studios but gives students an insight into the creative process. He ended on three of the most important things for us to take into the industry; knowing that collaboration is key, to enjoy our part of the project and to get our hands dirty! I asked if there were any questions a potential employee could ask the interviewer to show they have a keen interest to be working with that company and the answer is curiosity - ask why the developers made their games a certain way and show some knowledge around their previous work and marketing material (e.g. brushing up on trailer releases). Game developers are looking to push their companies and the industry so they'll be looking for the same qualities in a potential candidate.
Reflection:
From this talk I’m starting to accept that I have a lot to learn and it’s okay for me to not be perfect. My aim is to learn from others and experience whatever opportunities I can - only by doing this will I be able to reach the level of success I believe I can achieve. I also think I should be having more confidence in my soft skills. University has proven to me that I can work in a team, from letting go of ideas to picking up the slack when necessary. I want to be able to communicate these skills better in an interview setting.
References:
UsTwo Games, 2021. Assemble with Care. (Online) Available at: https://www.ustwogames.co.uk/games/assemble/ (Accessed 11th January 2021).
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