牛牛资源

With the announcement that the Mayor of London has given his backing to a huge nine-day computer games festival later this year, it’s increasingly clear that gaming is big business. Last year the UK games industry generated some £2.8bn in revenue: more than film and music.

And as London positions itself as a world-leader in the field, there鈥檚 a constant demand for talented new designers, artists and developers.

Here at 牛牛资源, our MSc in Computer Games & Entertainment, and the newly introduced MA Computer Games Art & Design, have a hugely successful student employment rate.

In an average year, 100% of our postgraduate games students are already working or immediately find work in the industry when they graduate, snapped up by the likes of Sony, , or BAFTA-winning indie studio .

The Department of Computing鈥檚 impressive network of professional partners offering internship opportunities, experienced lecturers embedded in the industry, and top-quality teaching and facilities are ensuring the next generation of games developers 鈥� and those using gaming technology in other ways 鈥� is dominated by 牛牛资源 graduates.

We caught up with some of our recent alumni to find out what they鈥檙e up to, and how their 牛牛资源 experience shaped their careers.

Juanmi

Originally from Granada, 28-year old Juanmi was living in Switzerland, working as a programmer, before deciding on a change of career. He describes getting into the gaming industry as a 鈥渃hildhood dream鈥�. Just a few months into his MSc Games Programming Course at 牛牛资源, it was one that came true: he was offered a job at independent British game developer Splash Damage.

鈥淚鈥檇 previously studied computer science from a very theoretical point of view,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪o I really enjoyed Andy Thomason鈥檚 lectures at 牛牛资源 鈥� he helped me put all those concepts into practice, and realise how important some low-level elements of computers are.

鈥淎ndy once said that the only problem with theoretical computing is that there鈥檚 no theoretical computers. That鈥檚 a quote that comes with me wherever I go.鈥�

Juanmi鈥檚 recently been working on and , working in core-tech programmer team to achieve better performance. What tips does he have for landing a great job in the industry, other than a 牛牛资源 degree?

鈥淜nowledge. And trying to be nice!鈥�

Will

For Will Masek, a 2013 MSc Games Programming graduate, it was the success of friends who鈥檇 already taken a 牛牛资源 MSc that encouraged him to apply - both had gone on to work for well-known games studios.

Will was also impressed with 牛牛资源鈥� dedicated computer lab for MSc games students: 鈥淚 have many fond memories of working in that lab. I think I learnt nearly as much from my peers as I did from the lecturers,鈥� he says.

He points out that while a 牛牛资源 MSc is an excellent start 鈥� it鈥檚 鈥渘ot a golden ticket to the games industry鈥�: 鈥淭he course is what you make of it and it鈥檚 up to you to fill the gaps in your skills and knowledge. Nobody will do it for you. But working together with your peers, you鈥檒l learn a huge amount.鈥�

During his MSc Will started an internship with one of Europe鈥檚 leading games developers, 鈥� the studio behind hit games like Sniper Elite 3, and the Zombie Army Trilogy. He went on to be hired as a full time employee, and is currently working as an AI programmer on an AAA game 鈥� the gaming industry鈥檚 equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster 鈥� for PCs and next-generation consoles.

Artemis

鈥淕ame development is fascinating and it鈥檚 really worth working hard in order to get into the industry,鈥� explains Artemis Tsouflidou, 29. Originally from Greece, she studied Computer Engineering Telecommunications and Networks at the University of Thessaly before joining 牛牛资源.

While studying here in 2014, Artemis applied for a number of internships, landing one at Sony where she鈥檚 now currently employed as a gameplay programmer, working on a virtual reality game for Playstation VR. 鈥淭ry to develop yourself in every aspect possible,鈥� she advises. 鈥淏e self-motivated and try to deepen your knowledge in programming and mathematics.鈥�

(Graduates Artemis Tsouflidouand Juanmi Huertas)

Stefana

26-year-old Stefana Ovesia, originally from Brasov Romania came to 牛牛资源 after studying electronics at Transylvania University, where she specialised in both hardware and software. She graduates this February and is currently making mobile games for a company in the Midlands.

鈥淎fter much research, I found the MSc Computer Games and Entertainment course at 牛牛资源 鈥� the description on 牛牛资源鈥� website alone had me sold. It suited me perfectly.

鈥淚 realised that I love software but I also want to work in a fun and creative environment. I decided to come to London because of its diversity and opportunities for software developers.鈥�

Making the most of her time at 牛牛资源, Stefana took part in two game jams 鈥� marathon game development sessions that often last for days, and nights, at a time. 鈥淛am, jam, and then jam some more,鈥� she advises. 鈥淭he experiences of a game jam, the memories and the titles you can add to your portfolio are priceless.鈥�

鈥淟ondon is just the place to be for tech events. Get involved with anything games and IT related, make connections and get yourself noticed.鈥�

Aldo

Aldo Curtis, 22, was part of the 牛牛资源 Computing team to win last year鈥檚 - the second win in a row for 牛牛资源 students in the annual competition. He鈥檚 now employed as a junior online programmer at , working on Tom Clancy鈥檚 The Division, an upcoming online, open world, third-person role-playing video game set in a New York devastated by pandemic.

Aldo studied for his BSc Games Programming at the School of Audio Engineering, before joining 牛牛资源 for his Masters, attracted to the practical nature of the course. When Ubisoft visited the university to drum up interest in their new graduate scheme, Aldo took their programming test and was one of the top scorers. He signed up, went through their recruitment process, and ended up with a job.

鈥淔or those planning to study the programming side I would say, don鈥檛 be scared. Learn some C++ and consider it as just a tool to get your game behaving how you want,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s for the university experience? You miss a lot by not turning up to your lectures 鈥� much more than just the course content. You miss time with your classmates and the conversations and activities that are formed because of them. Attend as much as you can 鈥� you might be inspired.

Video games are one of the most compact and intense media we consume, a combination of cinematography, audio, writing, world-building, architecture, social studies and computational systems that make them accessible from so many educational avenues.

鈥淏ut nothing is more necessary to a game than the programming at its core. If you want to make games, then learn some programming with whatever you鈥檙e doing. It鈥檒l help you understand why video games are like they are, and will make you more appealing to companies to boot.鈥�

This April, , backed by a 拢1.2m investment from the London Enterprise Panel. With a games exhibition at Somerset House, fringe events across the city, and a series of talks at the British Film Institute, Boris Johnson has offered his support for the initiative.

鈥淟ondon is already a star player when it comes to games and interactive entertainment, but international competition is fierce and we need to ensure our city can compete with our global gaming rivals,鈥� the Mayor recently said. 

As the dozens of highly-skilled, creative, and experienced 牛牛资源 Computer Games graduates entering the industry each year can testify: it鈥檚 the perfect time to study for a degree. 

Understanding virtual reality: a masterclass with Dave Ranyard takes place on Wednesday 6 April.  for more information and ticket booking.