Work Letter

23 Stamford Road
Plymstock
Plymouth
23^rd September 2009

Sir/Madam
Nintendo gaming company
104 Mushroom House
London
PL2 3AE

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to apply for your position in game designing. I have seen your advertisement and I have been studying for years for an opportunity like this. Game designing is what I do.

I am currently a student at Plymouth City College of Art and Design, studying a course called Interactive Media and Game Designing. I am currently doing well.

I have quite a few skills such as I am good with computers, I can use Adobe Flash and 3DS Max fluently. I am also very creative in gaming concept and have a wide imagination. I am punctual, reliable and I communicate well in a team. I also have been playing computer games since I was 6 and a huge fan up to this day.

This is my dream job so if you decide to add me to your team I can be available whenever you need me. I am a very dedicated person and this opportunity would be amazing.

Yours sincerely,

Adam Everson

Report which reflects and demonstrates analysis

I have always loved to play computer games, ever since I was little, and I have always wanted to be able to design games, let my mind flow and release great games. I have always wanted to get far in the gaming industry. One company I am very fond of is the Nintendo Company, I have owned every single console they have released and always buy their games.

I am looking forward to studying more about the concept of games, breaking down a game and using various programmes such as 3DS Max. I do want to go more in depth in Flash and 3DS Max. I want to be able to memorize the codes and know how to make anything in 3DS Max without thinking. I really want to get far in the world and the only job that I feel suited for is somewhere in the games industry.

Within the past few months that I have used 3DS Max I have managed to produce several kinds of work such as a model of a city and a side project of recreating an Egyptian scene. The later one is more of a home project that I will be uploading to blogger. I have also made various things within Flash and Photoshop such as I am in the middle of making a recreation of Asteroids and my very own game in two separate projects.

I do crack down on my work, but if it is a project I really enjoy, I storm through the project quickly, with plenty of time to go through and make changes along with improvements. Also I really do well in teams. I have been doing team work throughout my life and even though I am not the leader type, I lay in my opinion, I take part in group discussions, I volunteer myself to do a lot of work and I also co-operate. Even if it is little projects like making a safe egg drop to designing games.

I always avoid losing time off my education and work, I will not attempt to get the day off, there is no point as that involves falling behind which leads to a chance in failing, you miss one day then there is severe catching up to do. I will make sure my attendance is always at 100% along with my effort for work. I will not hold back on my opinion on how to improve the game, even if I am wrong I will still give out my opinion and see what my team members will think of the idea.

I have sat down and learnt a few basic ways to get into the games development company from my uncle who also works in the gaming industry, which he has been doing for the past eight years. I really do think I have what it takes to be a great asset in any gaming company. I hope to bring help to my team, make everyone’s job easier and perfect every detail within the games.

Honestly though I will settle for a games tester if need be until I can get a job within the industry. I will keep practising on getting better with my programmes and I will be using these games as references. What is mainly needed is the skill to make games and actually liking games and playing them really helps getting a job, because this shows that you love games which means you are going to be fully co-operate with making games and enjoying it, which means more work will come out, which means more efficiency.

I do have a few hobbies, mostly computer gaming but I also hang out with my friends a lot and I am also a big card player. Yes I know, I am a nerd and proud of it. It makes me who I am. I am not big on sports but if needed, I will do my best in taking part and giving it all I got.

Need to do list

Done: 6, 9, 11

HE course research

I have had to research three courses in Higher Education which I would consider going in, these are:

BA (Hons) Design for Games (3 year)

This course offers designing games, making games and game art, this course sounds perfect to me if I was staying on the course, this course focuses on games specificly which is a hue help for me, it is what I need to advance my career even further in the game world. Pretty much I need to pass this course to get in.

BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Year 3)
This course focuses around image manipulation, typography and images. This does seem like a sub course which I may consider as it is hue on the whole concept on characters too. Minimum 5 GCSEs, grade C or above, from a general range of educational GCSE subjects, preferably including at least one from Art, Design, Textiles or Media.


And to be honest I cannot find any other courses that will benefit me or help in my career.

Action Plan

Okay this is what I have planned. I am going to do my best this year and hopefully earn a Distinction throughout all my courses. I am going to get a part time job sometime soon and at the end of this course, I am going to be looking in to becoming a game designer. I am hoping to work for Nintendo, I also have connections as my uncle works for Nintendo but I want to attempt to get in without someone else fighting for me to get in, I want to earn it, I want to be welcomed for who I am, not for being someone's nephew.

What I will need to get in is finish this course, have good grades with the social skills with this course, examples of what I can do like making a few games and presenting them to Nintendo and also a good portfolio. This will all take alot of work but I will do my best to accomplish all this.

Choices

I have looked through many choices in what I can do after I finish this course. I have several options.

Option 1: I can go straight into employment for game designing, which is possible and I will try my best to get in, what I need to require is to pass this course, love computer games and put together a CV with examples of what I can do.

Option 2: I could do self employment by making games for the internet and keep expanding as I go until I can afford to run a company myself, this step is a huge risk but will go far if done correctly.

Option 3: I could get an apprenticeship but this would require more years of training and never guaranteed the job at the end which could prove to be not a very useful path.

Option 4: Go to university or HE courses but then again this means more training plus I will have roughly around a £40,000 debt until I pay it all off.

To be honest I am going to stick with Option 1 as this is what I want to do, this is why I am here, I want to be a game designer.

My strengths

I have to find out what my strengths are. I know I am getting good with action script three on flash, also my photoshop skills are improving. I am also getting better at wording stuff, I used to struggle all the time before. I can also hand draw and upload the images which can be helpful for filling in with colour on the computer. That is all I can think of for now.

Portfolio research

I have been looking around the internet for portfolio ideas for game design. I have come across gamecareerguide.com and found out a few things.
- Grammar and language is a key thing as they like to look for people that can use their words smartly and word into the dialogue of the games, passing it down to the players.
- It is even possible to get into the gaming industry straight after school if they excel in their grades, plus experience.
- Any experience with making games is a huge help with your portfolio like Flash Games, Board Games, Card games, anything thats a game which shows you have spent alot of time and effort with success at the same time, plus how well the rules are played, the artwork is and how much fun the game is.
- Grades are moved aside when you show them what you are capable of with stuff like level designing.
- A key that you will need is the enthusiasm, the thrill and the enjoyment of creating games.
- The interviewer cannot judge until he/she has seen you in action, showing off your skills and passion for the gaming industry.
- A simple way to do well in the game industry for a portfolio is to make board games that will work well and fun to play, bring them in and show the interviewer how it works, play it with them if it appeals to them.
- You can also write a 250 page design document which will help but will not be the thing that can get you in, it all comes down to experience, dedication and examples.
- Start up a blog and begin to write about games intelligently, making reviews, discussions, anything that will look professional.
- Quoted by Brenda Brathwaite on the gamecareerguide.com
'The Portfolio

In order of importance, here are a bunch of things that would impress me in a student's design portfolio. Naturally, other designers might have other ideas to contribute to the list or disagree with me outright. Take it all with a grain of salt. 

• Internships in the game industry
• A few, playable digital games (remember those free game development tools)
• A digital game or level produced by a team with clear evidence of your contribution
• A few, playable non-digital games of high quality
• An intelligent, insightful and obviously updated blog.'
  

- And this is some bonus points from the same website and the same person
'Bonus points. Aside from the points I've mentioned above, there are other things that would impress me and help to solidify my belief that you are, in fact, serious about this design gig: 

• Evidence of having read the same books most every designer in the industry has like Koster's A Theory of Fun and McCloud's Understanding Comics for starters.
• Evidence of having attended a game conference like the Game Developers Conference, Austin Game Developers Conference, or a local IGDA chapter meeting. While you're there, network yourself crazy. Darius Kazemi has an excellent series on networking that is a must-read.
• Evidence of programming or artistic ability, but programming particularly. For game designers, your life will be a whole lot easier if you actually understand how to code at least functionally.'

Task 1

"Gather relevant career and progression research which must include at least three occupational profiles"


I am hoping to mainly be a Games Designer but I am also considering Game Testing or Character Animation.


The whole games industry is a very popular, high in demand and can be very strict on restrictions.


Game Designer: This has been taken off Gamasutra with an advertisement for Irrational Games.



Job requirements:

- Understanding of contemporary 3D first-person engine technologies and editing tools
- Experience creating first-person levels using Unreal, Quake, Half-Life or similar technologies for commercial titles (this must be demonstrated through actual levels created for these engines)
- Understanding of and desire to create first-person shooter gameplay
Interest in and understanding of architecture, lighting, texturing and other elements that are required to create aesthetically pleasing 3D levels
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to work and contribute effectively in a team environment
- Collaborate with the Art Director to lead the creation of consistent, high-quality work
- Model, texture and light 3D environments for a state of the art next-gen game engine
- Meet project deadlines and milestones

Required skills:

- Outstanding communication skills
- Ability to work within technical constraints and generate top-quality art
- Ability to create a highly modular, reusable building system
- Clear understanding and implementation of technical guidelines and constraints
- Ability to effectively collaborate with other departments

Bonus Points:

- Experience with UE3
- Traditional art skills, ability to do occasional environment concept drawings/paintings
- Capable of creating any aspect of a 3D game environment including modeling, texturing, and lighting of terrain, architecture, world objects and collisions
- A fluent knowledge of 3ds Max and Photoshop
- Experience with animated environment effects (such as particles)
- 4+ years of industry experience.
- Ability to use basic programming or scripting tools

When Applying for this Position:

Please remember to include art samples as appropriate including 3D rendered material, concept sketches, 2D work and/or animation. When submitting extensive samples of 2D work, please send high-resolution samples, preferably on a CD submitted through mail, or provide the address for your online portfolio. No one will be considered without a portfolio. To be considered for this position you must submit salary requirements.






Game Tester: This was taken off the same website but advertised by MetaVR
 The Tester will:
- develop test-case scenarios with our new Scenario Editor
- build scenarios that have context for our customers based upon jointly developed story board 
- regression test new builds 
- work with the development team to add new test cases
- add test cases to the test automation system 
- keep up with a rapidly changing and developing GUI
- document issues in bug tracking software 
- work independently in a home office 
- travel occasionally

Required skills: 
- 2+ years experience testing software
- testing mindset - must be able to find the bugs
- strong communication skills - to accurately describe a recipe to reproduce the bug, interact with team members and occasionally with customers
- familiarity with modern game-level designers (Sandbox, Visitor, Hammer)
- knowledge of testing methodology (unit tests, acceptance tests, integration tests, deployment tests)
- experience with bug tracking software (such as Confluence JIRA)
- knowledge of test automation tools - scripting
- Windows experience
- personal responsibility and dedication to manage one’s work in a home office with limited supervision 

Nice-to-have skills:
- military service record with experience in simulation and training or mission planning
- knowledge or interest in military equipment - aircraft, vehicles, weapons, uniforms 
- knowledge of flight simulation or avionics
- knowledge of GIS 
- scripting 

The payment is between $30,000-$45,000 a year.

Character Animation: Same website again but advertised by Irrational Games.

Universal Responsibility:

* We expect people to seek out all relevant information on their subject and be able to respond to spontaneous inquiries on that subject.

Responsibilities:

* Animating characters in 3D Studio Max with Character Studio, CAT, and Max bone systems
* Working with mocap
* Keyframe animation
* Facial animation, lipsyncing
* Animate humans, animals, and “others”
* FaceFX animation
* Animating complex machinery, weapons, or vehicles

Qualifications:

* Minimum 2 years experience in the games industry, shipped titles preferred
* Proficient in 3D Studio Max and Character Studio (Maya-only experience will be considered)
* Strong animation skills apparent in portfolio
* Strong traditional art skills a plus (drawing, painting, or sculpture, etc…)
* Experience cleaning up/working with mocap a plus
* 3D modeling and texturing skills a strong plus
* Excellent organizational skills
* Ability to work under Lead Artist, staying within aesthetics of game
* Works well under pressure

When Applying for this Position, Remember to Include:

* Samples of character, animal, and object animations–CD or URL preferred
* Walk and run cycles
* Combat animations
* Facial animations
* Samples of traditional art, drawing, painting, or sculpture, etc.
* Samples of 3D models and textures (optional)