Introduction

(445 words)

Going into my negotiated final project, I knew I wanted to use this as an opportunity to make myself more employable. According to Dealessandri (2021), building a good portfolio is a key place to start when looking for a career in Game Design.

Rather than just working on one project, I wanted to tackle multiple projects which I felt would help hone my skills and present my best work to potential employers. Brazie (2023) cites game jams as a good way to get noticed and make connections within the gaming industry. I had never participated in a game jam before, so I thought that would a good place to start. Creating your own games is also something employers find impressive (Indeed Editorial Team, 2024) and luckily, I was already working on a personal project with another student.

The games industry is primarily occupied by men, and women often struggle to break in. Companies like Women in Games strive to not only bridge this gap in the industry, but also to ‘make gender equity and parity a lasting reality’ (Women in Games, n.d.). This aligns with many aspects of Sustainability Goal 10, which aims to ‘Reduce inequality within and among countries’ (United Nations, 2023). Particular attention is drawn to the fact that ‘globally, women are twice as likely as men to report experiencing discrimination based on their sex.’ (United Nations, 2023), which is definitely something I’ll have to consider when trying to get into the industry. I will consider Goal 10 in many aspects of my career journey, and in my projects where applicable.

To help combat these issues, companies like ‘Limit Break’ have been created. In their own words, Limit Break is ‘the leading mentorship program for people from underrepresented and marginalised groups seeking to progress their careers within the UK video games industry’ (Limit Break, 2024). I had been waiting to apply, as they only accept final year students as mentees. This year, as a third year student, I successfully applied and have been officially accepted into the programme. I believe this is a great step to securing a place in the industry, as well as supporting and considering the positive influence that Goal 10 is having, by creating more opportunities for underrepresented groups.

I’ve also been advised to tailor my portfolio towards the job I want. This will include creating illustrations to showcase my character design skills, as well as character animations and concept art.

Here are all the projects I worked on this semester. Each one has been individually analysed to breakdown the process, and the skills I developed.

Conclusion

(132 Words)

Overall, I feel that taking on multiple projects for this module has helped me to work on many skills to further my employability. Not only have my hard skills in animation and game design improved, but also my soft skills like working in a team and getting a project ready for a deadline.

I took on multiple tasks that were not my area of specialism, like logo designs, UI designs and level design, which – despite being challenging – helped to broaden my range as a game designer. I also have multiple projects lined up for the future, with my opportunities in Limit Break, and the project with Sachit.

My work on these projects has made me feel a lot more prepared to enter the industry, and have helped to develop my portfolio even more.

Reference List

Brazie, A. (2023). How to Land Entry Level Game Design Jobs without a Degree. [online] Game Design Skills. Available at: https://gamedesignskills.com/game-design/entry-level-game-design-jobs-without-degree/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2024].

Dealessandri, M. (2021). How to Get a Job in Game Design. [online] GamesIndustry.biz. Available at: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/how-to-get-a-job-in-game-design [Accessed 5 Apr. 2024].

Indeed Editorial Team (2024). How to Get into the Gaming Industry. [online] Indeed. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-get-into-the-gaming-industry [Accessed 5 Apr. 2024].

Limit Break (2024). About. [online] Limit Break. Available at: https://www.limitbreak.co.uk/about.

United Nations (2023). Goal 10 | Reduce Inequality within and among Countries. [online] sdgs.un.org. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal10 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].

Women in Games (n.d.). Women in Games. [online] Women in Games. Available at: https://www.womeningames.org/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].

zukalous (2024). What are the top selling indie games of 2023? – How To Market A Game. [online] HOW TO MARKET A GAME. Available at: https://howtomarketagame.com/2024/01/25/what-are-the-top-selling-indie-games-of-2023/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2024].